Embers
by missingJane
Summary: A quiet lull at the CBI is about to be shattered by a lunatic on a celestial mission. In time, no one will be safe. In time, the world Jane has so carefully built will be destroyed in a split second. Time is a precious commodity, and soon, there won't be enough of it left.
1. The Call of the Universe

Embers

Chapter 1

The Call of the Universe

Cho sat hunkered down at his desk, his computer screen occupying his full attention. Swirling around him, the ebb and flow of the CBI office was a soothing lullaby of noise and bustle. He had learned how to shut the surrounding chaos out of his mind to focus on whatever case he was currently working on, undeterred from his assigned mission. Like a dog with a bone.

Jane on the other hand, welcomed the noise and rustling of papers, the ringing of phones and the sounds of footsteps all around him as he lay seemingly asleep on his butter soft, well loved sofa. Eyes closed, he let his breathing slow down to a calming beat. In….out….in….out. The white noise of the Serious Crimes Unit soothed him, filled him with a connection to lives outside of his own, lives still exciting and unspoiled by mistakes so heinous that they could never be undone. Cho, Rigsby, Van Pelt and Lisbon, they might have their own challenges and sadness tucked securely behind masks of professionalism and toughness, but none of them had the permanent wound to the heart that Jane felt with every beat of his bloody and mangled organ.

Van Pelt leaned back in her chair and rotated her tense shoulders. She had been glued to her computer since early morning and now her body finally rebelled, demanding to be set free from the cramped confined prison of her desk. Sighing deeply, Van Pelt turned her gaze over to Jane and envied him his ability to sleep during his work day. Even now, after years of working shoulder to shoulder with the enigmatic man, she failed to understand that he wasn't napping, not really. Every fibre of his brain was alight with attention, listening, remembering, cataloguing and deleting information as his eyes flickered behind his closed lids. Seeing that a return to her computer screen would just be a futile exercise at this point, Van Pelt stood up to refill her coffee mug, hoping the jolt of caffeine would rewire her thought processes and reveal the data buried online that so far was eluding her.

Rigsby watched the woman he loved from his desk, plagued with pangs of unrequited longing for his gorgeous redheaded co-worker. Seeing her stroll towards the kitchen, he decided to follow her to the small break room. Any time spent with Grace was a gift that he feared could be taken away from him at any moment. Affairs of the heart were strictly against CBI departmental rules, but his heart had not received the memo. Trailing Grace like a puppy, he grabbed his coffee mug and soon stood beside her, inhaling her warm floral scent like a lifeline. Cho glanced up and grinned at the scene unfolding in the kitchen.

'Just tell her you love her' he thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair and studied his flummoxed partner Rigsby. Flexing his heavily muscled arms high above his head he yearned for activity. He was sick of being inside, behind his desk, filling out paperwork and doing grunt work. A new case hadn't come in for 4 days and although it gave the team a chance to catch up with their files, he much preferred working a crime scene and catching the bad guys.

Lisbon sat in her office humming softly to herself. The lack of a new case this week had been a blessing as she was now almost caught up on her never ending pile of forms, complaints and case work. Madeleine Hightower gave her plenty of leeway when it came to getting the paperwork done, but without a case, there was no excuse not to get her stack of forms completed soon. Lisbon stood up and opened her door, her need for coffee motivating her to stalk through the bullpen to see what her team was up to. Cho was at his computer, unaware of her presence. Glancing down the long expanse of the old room, Teresa smirked as she spied Jane flat on his back, hands folded across his chest 'dead man' style. She knew he was awake and taking in everything around him. As she crossed the room to speak to him she saw Rigsby and Van Pelt share a laugh between them at the kitchen counter, their bodies just a bit too close to be considered professional and distant. She would have to keep an eye on those two…

"Lisbon, either come and visit me or go and scold our two love birds" Jane said groggily, running a hand through his hair as he turned his head and opened one eye to catch her in the process of making a decision.

"No scolding today, but if Rigsby thinks he's fooling anyone…" Lisbon began but was cut off by Jane rolling over and grabbing her hand, pulling her over to his sofa.

"Come, sit. Relax."

"Jane! I have work to do. You should try it sometime, you might like it" Lisbon chided him, sitting beside him heavily.

"Lisbon, this…"Jane said, pointing to his head, "is a mighty fortress. Always alert, always working and always 'way ahead of you" he grinned. "Work is an ongoing, organic thing Lisbon. I just happen to experience it in a more fluid way than you and the rest of the team does."

Ignoring Lisbon's moan of derision, Jane sat up and crossed his legs, smiling beatifically at his 'boss', inviting a cutting come back. This was his favourite activity, winding Lisbon up, saying outlandish things, making her see the world in a less conformist way. He knew she liked it but would never say so. She needed to be the boss, after all.

A ringing phone at Cho's desk interrupted their verbal sparring.

"Where? When? Uniforms on site? Ok, got it. We'll be over in twenty. Thanks!"

"What do we have Cho?" Lisbon asked, all joking forgotten as she stood up to take command.

"Explosion in an art gallery this side of the river. Fire department on scene. Two bodies were found inside the showroom."

"God help them" Lisbon muttered, envisioning the people trapped inside the building and dying an horrific death.

"Why is the CBI being called in on this one? Can't the fire department and local PD handle it?" she asked.

"The gallery owner had been receiving threats from an unknown perp for weeks. He reported every threat, but when nothing ever panned out, local cops decided it was just harassment by an angry ex-customer."

Jane stood up and stretched his arms out behind his back, listening intently.

"Until today…" he concluded.

"Until today, yes. Now we may have a bomber on our hands. Local PD wants help with this one Boss" Cho added. "This may be an accidental explosion and nothing more, or a revenge motivated killing. They want it investigated by Serious Crimes" Cho explained.

Rigsby leaned against the desk nearest the doorway as Van Pelt hurried to her desk.

"We'll know more when the arson team finishes their report" Rigsby said, already slouching into his jacket and reaching for his weapon. He was the expert when it came to arson or explosions of any sort and would take lead on this investigation.

"Rigsby, take two agents with you and get as much evidence as you can from the scene and speak to the Fire Captain" Lisbon commanded.

"Ok Boss" Rigsby said as he headed out, already planning who to take with him. A new case gave him a jolt of excitement and roused his curiosity. Was there undamaged security footage of the building? Would it show the bomber setting his device in place? What kind of bomb was it? Could more bombs be hidden elsewhere in the city? His mind buzzed with questions as he drove away from the CBI building, followed closely by two other agents in their own car.

"Cho, you and Jane come with me. Van Pelt, look up any and all reports of bomb threats in the last 6 months. See how many panned out and how many were false alarms. See what, if anything, might connect them."

"Yes Boss" Van Pelt said with a small sigh. Being the computer expert in the office was great for her resume, but she hated being left behind to do grunt work so often. While she would never complain, she felt her skills on a crime scene just might come in handy too. Without another word, she slid back behind her computer and set to work. Jane was buttoning up his jacket and waiting for Lisbon to retrieve her keys, then they joined Cho who was waiting silently at the elevator.

(Uptown Sacramento)

The gallery was cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape as gawkers gathered to survey the blackened, smoking rubble of the once chic art gallery. Firefighters picked through the smoking embers looking for hot spots, resembling giant yellow and beige ants on a stinking ant hill. Lisbon parked close to the yellow tape and flashed her badge at the police guard stationed to keep onlookers a safe distance away. Cho did the same and Jane just wagged his index finger at the cop indicating he was with _them_. Rigsby was deep in conversation with the Fire Captain when Lisbon approached, stepping cautiously over the remains of once-great works of art. Jane wandered off to sniff, poke and do whatever it was he did to determine what happened. By now his team just let him go off on his own, if they felt it was safe to do so.

Rigsby nodded his thanks to the Captain then joined Cho and Lisbon, his notepad in hand.

"Anything to work with Rigsby?" she asked.

"Fire Captain says the bomb was homemade, with components available at any hardware store. Simple, efficient and deadly."

"Is there enough of the bomb left to trace the parts?" Cho asked, hoping something survived the fire that could be traced to a store, perhaps paid for with a credit card. But that was hoping for a quick and simple solution to this crime. It rarely turned out to be so easy.

"Maybe, forensics will soon get their hands on the bits and pieces as they are retrieved from all...this" Rigsby said, waving his hand over the mess of bricks and blackened steel. "Then we'll know more."

Lisbon listened while she gazed over the smoking remains of the small building, searching absentmindedly for Jane. He always wandered off, it was a given by now, and he usually came back with something useful he had gleaned from his unsurpassed observational skills, or from schmoozing with bystanders. He could charm the paint off walls.

Jane stood on a pile of sooty ruins, his back to the crowd, who were watching the police and firefighters go about their work. He made an unusual sight. Incongruous in the sea of uniforms, he stood, beautifully dressed in a three piece suit, blonde hair shining in the late afternoon sun, his hand on his hip, deep in thought. Jane was as out of place as a fish on a bicycle, and quite a few of the cops on site tried to hustle him away, without luck. Only when Rigsby walked over to him to let Jane know the team was ready to go back to the office, did he rouse himself from his musings and come back to the noise and confusion of the crime scene.

"Thanks Wayne. I'm coming."

(9 weeks earlier)

A green van pulled up outside a small private art studio in a forlorn part of the city. After-school classes for children had just ended and the place was empty, save for the owner tidying up for the night. Virgil, the driver inside the van, sat watching the building, waiting, content to let the plan unfold as it should. No need to rush and screw things up. The Universe had told him what to do, and he was going to do it.

Ten minutes later the owner slammed the heavy front door shut and locked it. Then he got into his small car and drove away, not paying attention to the odd assortment of vehicles parked nearby on the narrow street. This part of town was quiet, nowhere near the trendy shops and restaurants of the city centre, but that was the reason the rent was so affordable on this old building. No one else wanted to rent it, and when the retired art teacher came along with a proposal to open a small studio to teach art lessons, the landlord jumped at the chance for rental money. A win-win situation all around.

The door of the van opened and a slight man of around 40ish eased around the vehicle and quickly walked over to the steel door protecting the art school. Producing a universal key, he unlocked the front door and stepped inside the waiting room. A computer and phone system sat on the front desk, but he ignored those. Walking further inside, Virgil came to the room where students would work on their current projects under the tutelage of the art teacher. Grinning at the ease of his mission, the man reached into the pocket of his large overalls and pulled out a small package. Opening one end with gloved hands, he flipped a small dial and closed the wrapping once more. He placed it in the middle of the long wooden table and smiled deeply. Yes, this would work out beautifully. He paused to look at the projects the students were working on. Collages of paper creating war-torn cities, ugly, monstrous vampires ripping people apart, garish splashes of paint on cheap canvases were laying on the tables and adorned the walls. All of it was nightmarish, none of it showed beauty or grace. He shook his head sadly and knew his mission was righteous. Seeing the art work the kids had been allowed to create confirmed to him that he was doing the right thing.

'Thank you...thank you for your Universal guidance my love' he thought tenderly. Sighing with frustration at the state of the world, the man slipped back out of the building, not bothering to lock the door again. Why bother?

There were no witnesses 20 minutes later when the device detonated, shattering the evening calm. The inside of the studio was blown apart, creating numerous small fires here and there, but mostly the art room was destroyed by the concussion of the bomb. A message was sent, that's all he had wanted to do. He wouldn't hurt the kids, nor punish the misguided teacher. Not unless he persisted in teaching the kids such terrible things.

Virgil watched the news later that night and smiled as he saw the fire fighters crawling around the damaged building looking for injured or dead victims. What a waste of time! Didn't they see the bigger picture? He could have set the entire block on fire but he didn't, did he? No, he was generous, kind, maybe some would even say, benevolent. He didn't want to hurt anyone, not yet.

In time they would understand.

(5 weeks earlier)

The green van sat idling outside a dilapidated playground. Whenever it had been built, it was now long past its prime and the technology designed for "play" was just downright dangerous. Children still came and tried to play on the rusty, lopsided swings, and they even attempted to use the teeter-totter, but it was so archaic and decayed by generations of rain and sun, that it barely moved at all, being almost welded into a permanent, dangerous tilt. Such a blight needed to be removed from the landscape, before someone really got hurt. The sun had set hours ago, and any children inclined to play had long ago been put to bed for the night.

The sandy haired man slipped out of the van and stood with his hands buried in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels in thought. This place made him so sad, and the rain falling didn't improve his mood. Virgil also felt angry. Why did he have to take responsibility for these blights upon the city? When would the planners get his message and take action themselves?

Walking over to the creaky wooden sandbox, the sand now long gone, he sat on one corner and fished around in his overall pocket and pulled out a black box. It shone slightly in the rain. Opening one end of it, he reached a slender gloved finger inside the device and flipped a small silver switch. Re-sealing the box, he placed it in the middle of the sandbox and stood up sadly. Taking one last look at the playground, he turned around and slouched his way back to his van. The light from his cigarette burned in the darkened cab of the van as Virgil pulled away, the rain washing away any trace of his presence within minutes.

A small face in an upstairs bedroom window three houses down from the playground turned away and the curtains closed once again. Only 15 minutes later, when the bomb had detonated, she and her entire family would be standing on the street with their neighbours, wondering why their playground would be on fire after that horrendous explosion.

(3 weeks earlier)

Virgil studied the broken down basketball court. The fencing sagged on three sides, none of the paint remained on the cement playing surface to show the tip off zone. The mesh "basket" had rotted years ago and the city hadn't bothered to replace it, no matter how many times Virgil had written to complain. Kids still tried to uses the large rectangle of cement for games, but without a fence or a basket, the game often went off the rails, leading to fights and brawls between the frustrated teens.

If notes to the Mayor didn't get things fixed around this city, then perhaps something more shocking would attract some attention. Virgil waited until the small hours of the morning when no one was on the street, and placed his small bomb under a park bench facing the basketball court. He was 3 streets away when it went off, shattering windows and setting off car alarms all around the neighbourhood. Good. Maybe now the city would take care of its citizens.

(2 weeks earlier)

Anger and frustration gripped the small man. It was happening again. Again he was forced to take action when the city wouldn't. He had driven through the city day after day and saw the degenerate gallery attract the attention of the wealthiest of the city's denizens. People with more money than sense, more money than morals or concern! Virgil had tried, every way possible, to make the Universe shut it down, but that damned art gallery was going to stay open. Even though he had sent anonymous threats to the owner to shut down his perverted "art" installations, nothing happened. Didn't anyone care about children anymore? What was happening to his beloved neighbourhoods and the businesses that dotted the landscape? He'd have to do something, something big this time, just to get the City Council and the Mayor to understand how evil the city was becoming. Decay, decadence, filth and smut, it was all on display 24 hours a day, on back streets and prominent shopping districts. The police should have been doing something about it if the Mayor didn't care! He'd give them a bit more time, time to come to their senses and stop all this perversion. Close the gallery and let some upstanding person take over the space, just like the Universe told him it should be.

The Universe knew everything, and he was simply a vessel, a tool to make the world a better place.

He'd bombard the Mayor with notes and telepathic messages, sent at night while the Mayor slept, yes, that's what he'd do. It might take a week or two, but he knew if he sat up each night and with the help of the Universal Energy, he could direct his thoughts towards Mayor Torrelli as he slept and all would be well. If not, he'd be forced to clean the city up once again.

(This morning)

Exhaustion was threatening to get the best of the man but Virgil hadn't given up yet. His nightly attempts to send messages to the Mayor had failed. The art gallery was still there. The statues, shameful paintings, disgusting lectures and the exchange of money for these monstrosities continued unabated. It was time to take action. Virgil held the incendiary device in his hands, saddened once again that he had to be the one to show the way, to clean up immorality, disrupt evil behaviour and shut this filthy enterprise down. His past warnings had not been strong enough. He had to do more, he realized sadly. Loud explosions weren't enough to frighten people, but destruction would, even if someone had to pay for his sins with his life. He stepped away from his small dining room table and tidied up the bits and pieces of wire, soldering equipment, packaging and brown paper. His skills for anything mechanical or electrical were finally being utilized for the common good. This time he felt sure the Mayor of Sacramento would get the message and clean up the city. After all, Virgil couldn't do it all by himself!

Virgil had on his best suit. He had shaved and tucked his hair up into a baseball cap, unaware how odd it would appear to wear a suit but ruin it with a baseball cap. Virgil left his van far down the street and walked up to the gallery, his head down in case there were cameras in the street. He waited until a swarm of young people left the gallery giggling and pushing each other on the sidewalk. As he looked through the window, he saw the gallery owner walk into the back room, leaving the showroom empty for a moment. He entered the building but was out again in just under a minute. All he needed to do was place his bomb somewhere in the room where it would cause the most damage. There were ample places to hide the small package, and once he had it secured at the base of a statue, he was on his way.

Two minutes later he was well on his way back home, the timer on the device ticking down to the final moments in the life of the gallery. He couldn't know that it would also be ticking down to the final moments of life for the gallery owner and his assistant.

It was all over the news that night.


	2. Connections

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review this new story. As you know, I don't like to take long breaks between posting new chapters, so since Chapter 2 was ready to go, I decided to post before the weekend. Enjoy!

Embers

Chapter 2

Connections

The ride back to the office was quiet. Jane had gleaned nothing from the crime scene, and so far no witnesses had come forward with information about the bombing. Nothing more could be learned about the crime until Forensics filed a report regarding the incendiary device, and any surveillance footage was examined. For now, there was little else to do. Van Pelt was re-filling her coffee mug when the team came into the bullpen.

"You smell like you've been barbequed!" she groaned, waving her hand over her nose as Wayne came over to say hello.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I'll have to get this suit dry cleaned" he moaned, hating the odour smoke always left in his clothes.

"Occupational hazard" Van Pelt smiled as she brushed past him on her way back to her desk.

Jane had disappeared as soon as he entered the building, and when he reappeared 20 minutes later, he was freshly showered, wearing a new suit. He kept extra clothes upstairs in his "thinking room" and availed himself of the showers in the gym downstairs, so he always seemed immaculately groomed. As he walked past Rigsby, he wafted his hand over his nose, pretending to be offended by the acrid smell coming off his friend and co-worker.

"Really? You too?" Rigsby groused, irked that Jane could make a comment without a word.

"I didn't say anything" Jane grinned, pointing towards the showers. "Go, get cleaned up. I'll hold down the fort" he grinned, seeing Grace smile in agreement.

"Okay okay!" Rigsby moaned, but was glad to be given tacit permission to go and get freshened up. He passed Cho in the hall, who was freshly washed and wearing casual clothes from his go bag. Geez, everyone was so organized around here!

By the time Rigsby returned, smelling great (at least Grace thought so), Lisbon had called a quick meeting to find out what, if anything, had been learned so far.

"Grace, what did you find out while we were gone?"

Van Pelt held up a sheet of paper with some quick notes on it. Scant information to share.

"Well, there have been a series of mysterious bombings around the city in the last 2 months. Pieces of small incendiary devices that someone with training could assemble at home without too much hassle were found at each crime scene."

"And we're just hearing about it now?" Lisbon said in amazement.

"Sac PD was investigating but didn't see a need to issue a public warning after each bombing" Grace said, noting Jane's eye roll.

"Because someone bombing random sites around the city of Sacramento couldn't possibly raise suspicions of a serial bomber…" Jane smirked. Cho nodded and had a question of his own.

"Any indication our perp could have been militarily trained to make bombs?" Cho asked.

Grace looked at her notes.

"The devices weren't very sophisticated, but then, they didn't do much harm until today. So, we won't really know if we are dealing with an ex-military perp until we have a look at today's bomb."

"Did the local PD find any link between the earlier bombings?" Rigsby asked. "Forensic evidence, eye witness details, anything?"

"Nothing. Each bombing was separate and unique, with nothing connecting them. No one saw anything, heard anything. The guy is a phantom" Grace said with a sigh.

"They're all connected" Jane said softly, his index finger on his bottom lip. All eyes turned to Jane.

"How so?" Lisbon asked, not surprised that her consultant made a sweeping statement so early in the investigation.

Jane sat on his sofa and steepled his fingers. "Where did each bombing take place Grace?"

"Ummm...the first one was on McDougal Street, poor neighbourhood, poor security. The place was a school of art for local, disadvantaged kids. They went there after school and on weekends. There wasn't a lot of serious damage, and no one was hurt, but the owner was so scared he shut it down and left as soon as he could get out of his lease"

"Ok, an art school. Next?" Jane asked.

"A few weeks later, a playground over on Dorchester was bombed. The equipment was old to start with, and the bomb was bigger this time. It pretty much destroyed the whole corner of the park. Again, no witnesses and no security camera footage."

"He's escalating his attacks. Next?"

"Next...a basketball court in Eastside Downs. Poor neighbourhood. The court was in rough shape, now it doesn't exist at all. Lastly, it was the bombing today at the art gallery downtown. This time the bomb was deadly. We're waiting so see who the victims were, but we are going on the assumption one is the gallery owner, and the other could be a customer or someone else who worked in the gallery."

"Still think they're all linked Jane?" Cho asked, arms folded over his chest.

"Yes, but the motive is still unclear. Three of the places attracted children. The first place was specifically designed to attract school kids. A wonderful enterprise and one that will be sadly missed in that neighbourhood. The other of course was an actual playground - again, it attracts kids. The basketball court was open to anyone at any age."

"But today's bombing was uptown, in an upscale neighbourhood, a place that doesn't really attract school aged kids. Jane? How is that connected?" Wayne asked, puzzled by the break in logic.

"Exactly, it shouldn't attract kids. So why place a bomb there?"

Lisbon, Cho, Wayne and Grace looked at Jane, trying to see what he had understood so quickly. It was so clear to him, but Jane realized he'd have to spell it out for his friends.

"Did you see some of the art that was lying around when we were there at the gallery today? Pretty salacious stuff. Would you want your children to see art like that?" Jane asked the group.

"Uh...well...no. Not young kids anyway" Wayne said, thinking of his son Ben.

"So the link between all four bombings isn't art...it's kids, isn't it Jane?" Lisbon spoke up, seeing the logic now.

Jane smiled and nodded in appreciation. "Someone thinks the kids of Sacramento are not being well served, not by the city, not by our art community. I think we have a moral vigilante on our hands. One who can blow up the sinners who corrupt or damage children" Jane surmised.

"But kids could have been hurt at that playground!" Wayne stammered, horrified at the idea.

"No...no kids were ever in any danger, our perp blew that playground up well after neighbourhood kids were in bed for the night. He didn't want to hurt them, but he wanted to shut down that old, dangerous playground. In his mind, he was doing them a favour."

"Great. A lone wolf is out there righting wrongs with bombs" Lisbon muttered.

"If...Jane is right about our perp, then our guy has a grudge against people who don't serve the best interests of kids, but only by his warped standards" Cho agreed cautiously. "Why blow up an after-school art school? Wasn't that helping the kids?"

"So says a rational man. But our guy isn't exactly thinking straight if what Jane says is true" Lisbon added. Cho had a good point. To anyone with common sense, that after-school program was a benefit, not a detriment.

Cho, Lisbon, Van Pelt and Rigsby all silently turned to stare at Jane again, who was lost in thought. When the silence became obvious, Jane roused himself and met their eyes in surprise.

"Anything to add?" Lisbon asked her consultant.

"Hey I don't have all the answers! I can't do all the heavy lifting around here!" he complained in mock affront.

Mission accomplished, the small group broke up with snickers of derision and returned to their desks. Grinning at getting a rise out of his team mates, Jane stood up to wander back to Lisbon's office with her. Once inside he flopped down on her sofa and crossed his arms, content to watch her work. Lisbon leaned back in her chair and rocked slightly, deep in thought. Jane closed his eyes to think about the bomber, his motivations, his skewed view of the world, and where he could strike next. Without a doubt, there most assuredly would be another bombing in the city.

"I don't get it Jane" Lisbon said, her chin now resting on her palm as she stared off into space. "Why bomb something good?"

Opening his eyes, Jane nodded, unable at the moment to see what could be wrong with teaching kids how to draw and paint, sculpt and create in a safe environment. One idea had been brewing in the back of his mind since they came back to the office.

"What if it's not only about the kids? What if it isn't even about the art classes?"

Shaking her head in confusion, Lisbon waited for Jane to continue.

"There's more here to be dissected Lisbon. What do we know about the guy who opened the school?"

Lisbon didn't know. There hadn't been enough time to research the owner/operator of the school just yet. Another job for Grace…

"No idea Jane. But Grace can start to dig into the owner's history. See if he has anything in common with the gallery owner. Siblings perhaps? Former business partners? Lovers? Could be anything, or nothing at all."

"Hmmm."

Jane wasn't ready to offer up any more suggestions as to motive or connections between the crimes. But he knew there was one, somewhere. For now, it was up to Forensic analysis of the bomb fragments and Van Pelt's computer skills to hone in on their bomber before he detonated another device.

Across town, Virgil had settled himself in front of his old TV and chewed on a slice of pizza, waiting for the latest news. The top story of the day was about a bombing at a prestigious art gallery in tony uptown Sacramento. Virgil leaned forward to listen intently, a smile splitting his face. Cameras captured the chaos of the now destroyed gallery, a smoking ruin where only this morning it showcased lewd, disturbing images under the guise of "art". He couldn't help but smile to see how well his bomb had worked. Yellow police tape cordoned off the site as curious onlookers gawped at the firefighters and police on scene as their investigation began. Several people in suits wearing vests labelled "CBI" were also shown on camera as they walked the scene and spoke to the various branches of law enforcement. Virgil was only vaguely aware of the CBI, but knew they were some sort of State police department. Seeing them there only made him feel more proud of himself. People were finally paying attention! At least tonight he could close his eyes and rest, knowing he had appeased the Universe in some small way. He had taken another small step towards making the world a better place. If only everyone else understood how important his work was! While he was sad that two people had died in the blast, he could only let the blame fall on them. They were responsible for their own deaths. He had only made their exit from this world go a little quicker than they had planned.

(CBI - Morning)

Grace was at work bright and early the next morning, eager to see what her search engine had uncovered in the lives of both art studio owners. If there was any connection between the two men, her algorithm would show it. Soon Wayne showed up, having learned that the best way to spend some alone time with the lovely Grace Van Pelt was to show up before Cho or Lisbon came in. No one ever knew when Jane would saunter in so he couldn't factor him into his careful plans. As if Jane didn't already know how much Rigsby loved Grace. But in fairness to the know-it-all, he never said a word or betrayed their closeness to anyone in authority.

"Morning Grace" Wayne smiled, putting a rich caramel frappuccino on the edge of her desk.

"Mmmm, yummy! Thanks! Good morning to you too Wayne!" Grace smiled back.

"Ahh...any luck finding links between our art people?" Wayne asked clumsily. Grace managed to both unsettle him and energize him at the same time.

She turned back to her screen to read the report. Soon a small smile formed, yes, there was something there.

"It looks like the art school teacher and the gallery owner were ex-military, but separated generationally by very different overseas missions. The gallery owner was only 42, had served in the army for 20 years. The after-school program was run by a man who had served in Vietnam, a retired school teacher using his own time and money to teach kids. Sound like good people" she said sadly.

"I wonder if they knew each other?" Wayne asked.

"We'll find out soon enough. I'm sure the Boss will have the art school operator in for an interview."

Wayne leaned down to inhale Grace's perfume just as Lisbon came around the corner.

"Ahh, good work Van Pelt!" he said hastily before he lurched off for his own desk. Grace was already busy typing on her keyboard and didn't notice Wayne's red face. Lisbon just sighed and went to her office.

When Cho and Jane finally arrived Grace presented her findings to the team and left it to Lisbon to call the art teacher in for an interview. For now, it was up to Forensics to give them more of a lead.

Mid-morning a new case dropped in their laps and the team was consumed with a murder in a men's club. It took a day or two but they were soon celebrating with Closed Case Pizza. Cho was throwing the boxes away when a report was handed to Lisbon from the Forensics department. Sitting down at the nearest desk, she pulled the paperwork out and began reading. There wasn't much to go on.

"Anything interesting in there?" Jane asked, pulling a chair up next to Lisbon's.

"Not really. Wiring and components of the bombs are all readily available both online and at any hardware store. Our perp could have tons of the stuff in storage somewhere. We didn't find serial numbers to find out where the materials were sourced, so that's a dead end."

"What about the construction? Anything look like military training in the type of device constructed?"

Lisbon scanned down the page and found just one small item.

"It says the second bomb at the playground was a type often seen by soldiers in Iran or Afghanistan. So, our perp could be ex-military. Or else he just watches a lot of YouTube videos" she said with dismay.

"My money is on ex-military" Jane said with certainty.

"Why?"

"Both the retired school teacher and the gallery owner were ex-military, so there's a connection, and one of the bombs now shows signs of being constructed by someone with at least some familiarity with military bomb making. It could just be a coincidence that both of the men are ex-soldiers. Our perp may not even have known that" Jane guessed.

"In the meantime, until we know more about our perp, let's go talk to someone at City Hall about the playground and basketball court. Someone was in charge of maintaining them" Lisbon said, standing up to find her jacket.

"With pleasure" Jane smiled. Any time he could go to City Hall and rile up a pompous elected official, he was thrilled.

Suddenly stopping, Lisbon swung around with her finger held high in Jane's face.

"We are not going antagonize anyone - got that? Not the head of Maintenance, not the Supervisor of Parks and Recreation, not even the Mayor, if we go that far up the food chain. Agreed?"

Jane looked wounded, and raised his hand up to his heart. "Would I do that Lisbon?"

"Yes. Every damned time!"

Smiling in spite of Lisbon's attempts to sound authoritarian, Jane crossed his heart and held up two fingers in a Boy Scout salute.

"Scout's Honour, no antagonizing the animals at the Zoo."

"Jane!"

"Just kidding Lisbon."

"No, you're not. And you were never a Boy Scout!" she snarled as they stepped into the elevator.

"I would have looked great in those little shorts though…" Jane mused, as his Boss swatted him across the upper arm with the hint of a smile. Grinning from ear to ear, Jane pushed the "down" button and stared at his shoes in happiness. Winding up Lisbon was just so much fun, and almost too easy.


	3. A Visit to the Zoo

Well Jane is a happy man. Any time he can push the buttons of some self-important politician, he's in heaven! Here we go!

Embers

Chapter 3

A Visit to the Zoo

The trip over to City Hall took 15 minutes in city traffic, and Lisbon kept her thoughts to herself, while Jane stared out the passenger window, watching the city roll by. Affluent neighbourhoods followed low rent housing, followed by middle income small houses. It was a good cross section of any large American city. He took it all in, digesting the vistas and cataloguing them for later use.

Soon enough they pulled up outside the imposing City Hall building and found the Maintenance Department, and a supervisor on duty for the day shift. After showing their badges to the man, Lisbon and Jane were shown to his office in the basement of the old building.

"What can I do for you Agent Lisbon?" Sam Cardin asked, while keeping an eye on Jane, who insisted on standing and wandering around the small office.

"Mr. Cardin, we'd like to speak to you about the bombings in the park and the basketball court recently. Both were city maintained properties" Lisbon began. Cardin stopped her by holding up his hands.

"Like I told the cops a few weeks ago, I don't know nothin' about some guy bombing the shit outta a playground and a basketball court. Why would I?" he shrugged, disinterested.

Jane paused in his rambling and was about to say something harsh, but Lisbon spoke first.

"Mr. Cardin, I can appreciate that you may not have direct knowledge of the bombings, but perhaps you do know more than you realize."

"How's that?" he said, his curiosity aroused.

"You said the local police came around and interviewed you after each bombing, correct?" Lisbon began.

"Yep, they did, for all the good it did. They asked a bunch of useless questions, like did I see any unusual activity at the playground or basketball court lately. What are they, nuts? I work maintenance! I fix stuff after it breaks! I don't babysit the park for shit's sake!" he groused, annoyed to be bothered again.

"What condition was the playground in before the bombing?" Jane asked, fixing Sam Cardin with a penetrating stare.

"How'd ya mean?"

Jane sighed. Why did people think playing dumb was a good idea?

"Well, your department is responsible for keeping playgrounds and other community spaces safe, up to date, in good repair. Was the playground in good repair before the bombing?"

Sam opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it. He looked at Jane, then Lisbon, then his hands. Time ticked by. He knew the answer of course but was loathe to give it.

"Sir, can you answer Mr. Jane's question?" Lisbon asked. She had no idea what Jane was up to but it always panned out, eventually.

"Well I'd have to look up the maintenance records to see what shape it was in OK?" he said, relieved to have come up with a logical response.

"Excellent" Jane smiled, taking a seat next to Lisbon. Then they both looked at Cardin expectantly.

Sam looked from one to the other and back again. "Oh, ya mean now?" he asked.

"No, last week" Lisbon snapped, earning an admiring smile from Jane.

"Oh sure...sure... just let me look here…" Cardin mumbled, digging around in a large pull out drawer for a dusty file folder. After a lengthy search, he pulled a faded yellow folder out of his drawer and slapped it down on his desk.

"Ok, let's see what we got here" he mumbled, turning page after page of paper over. A few had red marks on them, probably indicating work done. Most of the pages had little or no markings on them at all. Finally he got to the last page and when he was done, he looked up at his two visitors with a smile.

"Well, it seems that the playground, and the basketball court in question were due for some upgrades" he smiled.

"Some upgrades?" Jane echoed. "Just what do you consider 'some upgrades'?"

Sam Cardin sat back and rocked in his chair. "Well, ya know, the usual stuff. The playground was getting a bit old and needed some new equipment. Same for the basketball court. Needed some paint here and there, a few potholes patched."

"When was that scheduled to take place?" Jane asked.

The man checked his maintenance schedule.

"Nothing here. I guess they weren't planning on making any improvements this year."

"Can you look up the playground on the corner of Mission Street and Constitution Avenue?" Jane asked. "Tell us what condition that is in?"

"What for? There wasn't a bombing over there was there?" Sam asked.

"No, no bombing. Can you just check your file and see what kind of condition that particular playground is in?" Lisbon asked, seeing where Jane was going with this.

Huffing with indignation, Cardin swivelled around and put the old yellow file back into the drawer, and very quickly found a bright red folder with recent photos of the park Jane had mentioned.

"Oh yeah...here we go...oh this one is nice, real nice...see?" Cardin said, holding out a shiny photo of the park. It too was old, established, but all of the equipment was freshly painted, safe and sturdy, repaired and up to date. The lawns were mowed and safe lighting dotted the perimeter of the park.

Jane and Lisbon leaned forward and viewed the photo. The park in question was in an affluent part of town, whereas the other park was definitely in the low rent neighbourhood.

"Well the picture certainly tells a story" Jane smiled. He shoved the photo back towards the man and stood up abruptly.

"Lisbon, shall we go and not take up any more of this man's time?" he suggested, reaching for her hand.

Used to Jane's sudden change in tactics, Lisbon stood up and thanked Cardin for his time. She exited the office with Jane, angry at the apparent unfairness of the condition of the facilities.

"Well that was interesting" she muttered as Jane guided her towards the elevators.

"Yup. Just getting the lay of the land. I think it's time to speak to our illustrious Mayor, don't you?" he smiled, holding the elevator door open for his Boss.

"I don't like that tone of voice Jane, and what makes you think we can just walk in on the Mayor without an appointment?" Lisbon warned him.

"Ahhh, this" Jane smiled, holding up her CBI badge. "There is a mad bomber on the loose in his city, and the optics will be horrible if the Mayor refuses to make time for us. People talk around the water cooler. He'll make time for us."

The elevator dinged at the 3rd floor, and when the doors parted, the beautiful decor facing them was a far cry from the dingy basement office of the Maintenance department. At the end of the large lobby, a deeply polished mahogany reception desk was the territory of a well dressed but bored young woman. Jane and Lisbon walked towards the desk determined to get inside the gilded sanctum of the Mayor.

"Can I help you?" the Receptionist asked without a smile.

"Yes. We're here to see Mayor Torrelli" Jane said with a smile, leaning down to smell the tall floral arrangement on the desktop.

"And do you have an appointment?" the imperious young woman shot back.

"Nope, no appointment, but he'll see us, I'm sure" Jane said, rocking back on his heels, enjoying himself immensely. The Receptionist tapped her talon-like black fingernails against her elegant desktop.

"Sir, you can't just walk in off the street and expect to see someone as important as the Mayor. His time is valuable and taken up with meetings. Why not go to our website to see if your question can be answered under our FAQ section." She paused for effect. "That means 'Frequently Asked Questions'. You do know how to use the internet?" she added cruelly.

Jane was winding up to slash back but Lisbon put her hand on his arm to slow him down.

Flashing her CBI badge, Lisbon leaned over the desk and said as menacingly as she could manage, "Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon, Serious Crimes Unit, CBI, and this is my Consultant, Patrick Jane. We need to speak with Mayor Torrelli, now, on an urgent criminal matter. And yes, we have figured out how to use computers" she added without a trace of a smile.

"And guns too!" Jane added, earning himself a poke in the ribs.

Jane quite enjoyed witnessing the apoplectic choking which ensued from behind the desk. The young woman was turning bright red while she tried to apologize for her rudeness. As she should. When she had control of herself, the Receptionist turned on the charm and suddenly glasses of water were produced, as well as an invitation to wait in a beautiful ante-room.

"I tell you Lisbon, that badge is golden" Jane smiled, sipping his cold water while ensconced in a large wing chair with satisfaction.

"She was a bitch" Lisbon groused.

"Comes with the territory" Jane reminded her. A few minutes later the Receptionist reappeared and opened a heavily carved oak door.

"The Mayor will be pleased to see you now" she smiled.

"I bet he is" Jane muttered upon rising from his chair. "The Great Oz awaits!"

"Ssshhh!" Lisbon hissed as she strode past him. As Jane reached the Receptionist he handed both wet glasses to her, then sailed through the doorway into a luxurious office. It positively reeked of privilege and signs that the once ordinary insurance salesman from across the river had finally arrived in high society as the Mayor. The man himself stood beside his desk, a smile plastered on his face.

"So good of you to see us on short notice Mayor Torrelli" Lisbon said soothingly. "Jane?"

"Yes, so good of you" Jane echoed, shaking the rotund man's hand firmly.

"Please, take a seat. What can I do for our fine officers from the CBI?" the Mayor began unctuously.

Lisbon spoke first, to establish control and to keep Jane on track.

"As you are aware, there have been a series of bombings in the city in recent weeks" she began, but was cut off by the Mayor. What was it with men feeling they can just interrupt women?

"Yes, yes, terrible business. I've spoken with the Chief of Police, working hand in hand with him to catch this maniac!" he said seriously.

"You're working hand in hand with the police?" Jane asked, grinning broadly. "In what way?"

Lisbon smiled discreetly, not happy about Jane's potential needling of the Mayor, but at the Mayor himself, already trying to insert himself into the investigation to show himself in the best possible light politically.

"Well, helping them any way I can in my capacity as the Mayor of this wonderful city. When they call, I answer!" he huffed.

"And what did you answer?" Jane asked simply.

"What?"

"Your answer? What was it? What was the question?" Jane asked without guile.

"The question? Who's question? When?" the Mayor sputtered, not used to being accountable for his his glib comments.

Jane was about to reply when Lisbon took over.

"Have you spoken with SAC PD about the bombings?"

Relieved to be pulled away from Jane's glare, the Mayor turned to face Agent Lisbon. This was someone he could charm. It was his best skill politically.

"As I said, yes I have."

"Do you have any insight into the bombings in the playground or the basketball court, since both are City maintained properties?" she continued.

"No, of course not! I am responsible ultimately for their upkeep, not their security. Tax dollars only go so far Agent Lisbon" he said with sincerity.

"Were there any complaints to your office about the poor conditions at the playground, the dangerous equipment, poor lighting, lack of grass? Or complaints about the terrible upkeep at the basketball court?" Lisbon asked.

The Mayor smiled and leaned back in his expensive leather chair.

"Ma'am, I get complaints all day long from people with nothing but time on their hands. If this office was to take every complaint seriously, I wouldn't get anything done. Why just last night I was at a fundraiser for the Downtown Arts council, a worthy group of business people who want to beautify our cityscape with flowers, art installations and shows."

"I'm sure the families having to deal with derelict playground equipment and basket-less basketball courts will appreciate flower pots downtown" Jane snarked sarcastically.

The Mayor eyed Jane with thinly concealed indignation.

"We consider all aspects of city living, both in the affluent and poorer districts Mr. Jane. How is this connected to the recent bombings?"

"Well for one thing, you still haven't answered Agent Lisbon's question. Let me remind you what she asked. Did you ever receive complaints about the poor conditions, unsafe and dangerous conditions, at playgrounds only frequented by low-income families? Did anyone call to say the basketball court was just a pockmarked cement slab without adequate lighting or fencing, or God-forbid, a functional basketball net? Because both of those areas were bombed, not one of the wonderfully funded parks for rich families closer to the downtown core."

The Mayor turned pink with anger. "What are you insinuating Sir?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. Any fool can tell that your office made sure to fund recreational facilities for those taxpayers who voted for you, but the folks who can barely make it pay cheque to pay cheque were forgotten and ignored, even when they lodged complaints here, under your watch. We've seen the ignored work orders, so, no need to insinuate anything."

The Mayor leaned forward, almost steaming with the insult, not used to a civil servant accusing him of playing favourites with his constituents.

"Agent Lisbon, get your man under control, otherwise I will have him removed by security!"

Lisbon smiled at the Mayor and took her time answering. "My man, as you call him, is a member of my Serious Crimes Unit team, and is not out of control. You still haven't answered my question, as Mr. Jane simply pointed out. Did someone complain to you about the derelict conditions at those two locations? And Mr. Mayor, I caution you to answer truthfully. Two people died today because of those bombs. Do you want to contribute to more deaths?"

Mayor Torrelli was speechless. No one spoke to him like that, no one. But the woman had a point. Politically, it would hurt his re-election chances if the citizens blamed him for inaction which ultimately resulted in two deaths. He licked his lips and leaned back, folding his hands over his ample belly.

"Sorry, sorry Agent Lisbon, I misspoke. Of course Mr. Jane raises a good point about complaints."

He pretended to take time to think. A moment later, he seemed to remember a lot more.

"As I recall, I did get a couple of odd notes from someone complaining about conditions in our city parks, those two places were mentioned specifically, if I remember correctly. But the person also ranted about sexual immorality, telling me that I was allowing the city to go to Hell, corrupting the morals of my constituents. Honestly, the man was just crazy and I paid no attention. We get that sort of nutball stuff all the time!"

"Show me the notes" Lisbon said curtly, angry with the fool who sat opposite her now. Apparently he still hadn't connected those notes to the ravings of a bomber. How he got elected was a mystery to her.

"I may not have them...probably in the trash..no room to keep junk mail…" the Mayor mumbled as he made a show of rummaging through his desk drawer.

"Call your Assistant" Jane suggested, knowing full well that she would be the keeper of all of the Mayor's correspondence. "Tell her to bring the file."

Torrelli glared at Jane and knew he had been outsmarted. "Of course, of course!" Torrelli agreed, hitting a buzzer under his desk. A moment later his phone rang.

"Alice, can you bring me the complaints file please?" he said sweetly. "Thank you honey."

Jane turned to Lisbon and mouthed 'there's a file' with a silent smile.

"She'll be right in" the Mayor huffed. Lisbon and Jane just stared back, not attempting to make him feel any more comfortable. An uneasy silence fell over the office as all three waited.

A few minutes later Alice appeared with a thick binder. "Thank you Alice."

The Mayor opened the binder and started to flip through the pages. Finding what he wanted, he swung the book around and let it face the two CBI agents.

"Here we are! So happy we still have this correspondence!" he said with gusto. Jane pulled the book close and studied the notes under the plastic sleeve.

"We'll have to take these with us for Forensics to examine" Lisbon told Torrelli.

"Sure, take them. Anything to help the CBI!" the Mayor smiled, hoping they would soon leave.

"Thanks!" Jane said, lifting the entire book and putting it under his arm.

"No, wait, I didn't mean the whole file!" Torrelli sputtered.

"We'll have it back to you as soon as possible. For now, this book is evidence in our investigation" Lisbon said, standing up and reaching to shake the Mayor's hand. "Unless you have a good reason to withhold evidence?" she asked.

'Gotcha!' Jane thought as he started to walk towards the door.

"No, no reason. Of course you can take the book. Keep it as long as you like. Anything to help catch this lunatic!" the Mayor grinned, shaking Lisbon's hand a bit too enthusiastically.

"We'll see ourselves out" Lisbon said, then joined Jane as they re-entered the lobby.

They kept quiet until the elevator door slid shut, then Jane turned to his Boss and laughed.

"That was fun!"

"He's a pompous ass, but we need to keep up a good relationship with him, if just for future funding Jane" she reminded him.

"He's a pointless waste of office space."

"Agreed. But we got what we came for, so score one for the good guys" Lisbon grinned, patting the thick file.

"Should make interesting reading"Jane observed. "I wonder why he didn't want us to see it?"

"I think we both know the answer to that question" Lisbon said.

The trip back to the CBI was quiet as Jane was already skimming through the file folder, pausing to read a page here, a note there, muttering the odd "hmmm's" every so often. Interesting reading indeed.

Across town, Virgil was holed up in his small apartment, staring at the television, switching channels to catch whatever news was being released about the most recent bombing. The main topic of discussion was that two people had died in the art gallery.

He had killed two people.

Virgil felt sick about it. Death was not something to be treated lightly, he knew that better than anyone. Military men were taught to kill the enemy in every conceivable way, without thinking. In the desert, where the enemy was supposed to be, death was a constant companion. But here, in Sacramento, he never dreamed that he would have to make the ultimate decision to let someone die to appease the voice that spoke to him from the Universe. Why he had been chosen to make things right was not for him to know. How he accomplished his goal was up to him, but it was clear that his work was not finished, and judging from what he saw every day in the city, his work would have to go on for years and years to come. It saddened him that no one else was answering the call to remedy the sickness all around him. Maybe some day someone would walk up to him and tell him the Universe had called someone else to the cause, that they would work together, united in purpose. Until that wonderful day, Virgil had to keep his head down and his spirits up. Sooner or later someone would understand what was at stake, and know that all of the bombings pointed to a single, profound revelation.

Flicking off the TV, Virgil walked over to his small dining room table and looked at the bomb making components strewn across the old wooden surface. Sighing with resignation, he sat down and began assembling another device, preparing for the time the Universe would tell him to strike again.


	4. A Face in the Street

Thanks for the positive reviews everyone. I'm happy for the guest reviews as well, thank you!

Embers

Chapter 4

A Face in the Street

Jane headed right for his sofa as soon as he and Lisbon got back to the office. Cho and Rigsby were out and Van Pelt was busy on her computer. Opening the heavy file folder, Jane started to read and had to agree, the Mayor was right, a lot of people wrote to him to complain about everything under the sun. The folder was assembled by the Mayor's Assistant into categories, which right away made it easier for Jane to ignore complaints about noise, traffic, food trucks, school yard alarm bells, rodents and a hundred other problems. Finally, he found the section he needed.

Flipping to the most recent complaints, it took only minutes to find a series of computer generated notes sent to the Mayor complaining about the run-down condition of the parks and recreational facilities in the under funded sections of the city. On the same type of paper, and most likely printed with the same printer, Jane found threatening notes regarding the sexual nature of the City's art installations, its privately owned art galleries and museums. Whoever wrote these notes used clear speech, correct grammar, appropriate punctuation and formed logical sentences. The man was educated, it appeared. The Forensics department would soon know what kind of computer and printer was used to create the notes, and whether they indeed came from the same person, as they were left unsigned. Forensic linguistics analysis would determine if the bomber sent the notes concerning the derelict parks and the perverted art galleries, based on his speech patterns.

After perusing the file for a half hour, it was abundantly clear that money was spent for the upkeep of parks, recreational facilities and city beautification in the wealthy neighbourhoods, and nothing was spent to maintain the same types of facilities in the poorer parts of the city. If the population as a whole knew that this was a systematic abuse of the city's funds, the Mayor would be out on his ear. Was this the bomber's goal? Was all of this more of a political statement rather than a case of moral indignation? Jane slammed the file folder shut in disgust and walked over to Lisbon's office, happy to leave it for her to read later. She would come to the same conclusion as he had. The Mayor had to go.

By three pm that afternoon Jane had retrieved the folder and read every complaint lodged by the concerned citizens of Sacramento. Now he had an even lower opinion of those elected officials who sat in splendid offices in City Hall. A cup of tea would help to wash away the nasty taste the information in the file had left in his mouth. The small ritual of making the tea helped to ground Jane, soothe him in ways dialogue couldn't. By the time he was on his way back into the bullpen with his blue teacup filled with an aromatic blend of teas, Lisbon called her team together for a quick meeting.

"The Forensic report just came in. The wiring in all of the bombs is the same, most likely sourced from the same supplier. Right now we don't know where the components were sourced, but there is a small chance we will be able to get that information from some of the larger pieces of the device recovered from the blast zones. The incendiary devices are getting more powerful with each attack, so clearly our perp is getting angrier and more desperate to deliver his message, even if someone is killed. The construction of the devices is clearly military in design. So, we are most likely looking for someone who has military experience."

"That doesn't exactly narrow the field" Cho quipped.

"No, it doesn't. But we now know the type of person we're looking for at least" Lisbon said. "Van Pelt has some information about surveillance video. Grace?"

Grace picked up the remote for the video screen and switched it on.

"Thanks Boss. We were able to salvage some footage off the CCTV cameras down the street from the art gallery. As you can see here...shortly after a group of high school kids left the gallery, a man in his 40's approached the gallery from down the block. He was the last person to enter the gallery before the blast. We can't see the type of vehicle he drove, if he did drive to the gallery in his own vehicle, but he was dressed in a suit. He's slim, we think he might have longish blond hair which he tried to hide under his hat. He was wearing a baseball cap low over his face so he was aware of security cameras on the street. We can see a bit of his face here, when he looks up at the approaching kids." She paused the video so everyone could lean in and study the image of the man in the recovered footage.

"We have a call out to the local high schools to see which group of kids had been at the gallery that morning. If we get lucky, perhaps one of the kids had a good look at our guy. Then we can make a composite drawing of our perp." Grace switched off the screen and turned back towards Lisbon.

"Thanks Grace. I'll call in an artist to begin working on a drawing of our perp. Any questions?"

"No Boss."

"Nope."

"Once we confirm our perp's appearance, it will be forwarded to all military services to see if it matches anyone in their database. Until then, we will have to rely on witnesses coming forward and good old fashioned detective work. Thanks guys" Lisbon finished.

"Ok then, back to the grindstone" Van Pelt smiled. Although leads were thin, she felt like some progress had been made today. If they got a good description of the guy from a student, they would be well on their way to identifying their bomber from old military records.

After the rest of the team shuffled back to their desks, Jane followed Lisbon to her office. He remained on her sofa and sipped his tea quietly while Lisbon poked through some paperwork on her desk. Ignoring him for as long as she could, she finally acknowledged him and waited for him to speak up.

"A penny for your thoughts" she said softly.

Jane paused for a moment, contemplating his cooling tea. Then he looked up and smiled bleakly.

"He's going to do it again. Soon."

Lisbon nodded sadly. "I think so too. But why do you think it will be soon?"

Jane swallowed the rest of his tea and put the cup and saucer on the floor. Folding his arms over his chest, he gazed at Lisbon's green eyes, drank in their intense honesty. Was he aware how much she meant to him, even now?

"Our man is on a mission, and so far his cries for redress have gone unanswered. Now two people are dead. What happens if nothing changes? Clearly he thought the gallery was harmful to children. If other harmful art installations go unchallenged, he will believe it's his job to shut them down."

"I agree."

"So we'll have to stop him first."

"And we will do that - how?" Lisbon asked.

Jane bit his lower lip in thought. There was a solution out there, he just had to find it.

"Leave that to me. It's going to be great!" he said with enthusiasm.

Lisbon knew that look. Jane loved a challenge and this was going to be a big one. She only hoped it all came together soon.

"While you come up with a plan, I'm going to meet that group of students and interview them."

"Yeah good luck with that" Jane said as he turned towards his sofa. Interviewing bored high school students wasn't high on his list of priorities right now.

Lisbon had asked every high school in Sacramento if a group of their students had been at the gallery the morning the bomb went off. Only one school responded and had arranged to have the kids gather in the Guidance Office so Lisbon could interview them. Lisbon drove over to Sacramento District High School where she was met by the Vice Principal. He greeted Lisbon at the door and showed her the way to the Guidance Office, where the students waited. They all looked scared, as if they were in trouble. Lisbon's first job was to calm them down. The VP sat in a corner and let Lisbon take over the interview.

"Thank you all for being here. I'm Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon of the CBI Serious Crimes Unit. As you all know, we have a bomber on the loose in Sacramento. I believe you might be able to help us catch him."

The kids looked both impressed by the credentials of this tiny dark haired woman and also amazed that they could possibly be of some help to the police.

"But we don't know anything, really!" a young blond man spoke up from the back of the group. "We were just goofing around!"

"Shhh!" one of the other boys whispered.

"Shut up!" the first boy sniped, shoving his friend out of nervousness.

"Please, listen to Agent Lisbon and keep your comments respectful" the VP reminded them.

Lisbon had to smile. It didn't seem that long ago that she was trying her best to avoid being called in to the Principal's office. She had gotten into her fair share of mischief in high school, but always managed to avoid getting caught. So, she had sympathy for this bunch.

"CCTV cameras caught your group leaving the art gallery the day of the bombing, and we also saw a man walking towards you, that's why we know you were there that morning. The man kept his head down, and he wore a baseball cap, as if he was trying to hide his face from the cameras. I need to know if any of you got a good look at that man" Lisbon told them.

The kids turned to face each other, seeking reassurance that one of them remembered something.

"I..I was on my phone, sorry. Didn't see anything" one shy boy admitted.

"Anyone else?" Lisbon encouraged the group.

"We were fooling around, just having fun. That gallery was so wicked!" a dark haired boy said with a smile. Clearly the bombing wasn't having a big effect on him.

Lisbon began to fear no one in the group had been paying attention to their surroundings.

"I saw him" a young girl spoke up. She stood in the back of the group and all eyes turned towards her.

"Please, step forward and tell me what you saw" Lisbon told her.

The girl looked to be about 17, red haired and fair, and very self assured. She stepped forward and smiled at Lisbon. She could have been Van Pelt's younger sister.

"Hi" Lisbon said. "And you are?"

"Hi, I'm Dianna Lamont."

"Nice to meet you Dianna. Can you tell me what you remember about the man who walked towards you in front of the art gallery?"

Dianna nodded her head and gathered her thoughts. She had been thinking about him ever since she heard about the bombing and had wondered if he had had anything to do with it.

"Well, I was ahead of these guys" she began. "They were all fooling around and acting like idiots…"

"Hey!" some of the group protested.

"Like they usually do" she added with a smile. "I was in a hurry to get back to my car because I had to hand in a project in history class as soon as I got back to school and I didn't want to be late."

Lisbon smiled. This girl might just be the break they needed to catch the bomber.

"Go on."

"So, well, I decided to just get going and let my friends catch up to me later. I saw a man coming towards me. He seemed to be very ...I dunno...self-contained" she said.

"What do you mean, self-contained?" Lisbon prodded.

Dianna tried to describe the impression the man gave her.

"Well, you know, it was like he didn't want anyone to notice him, like he wanted to just blend in, fade away...like he wasn't taking up any space" she explained to snickers behind her.

"I understand. He didn't want to draw attention to himself by walking boldly, swinging his arms, making eye contact" Lisbon suggested.

"Yes! Exactly, like that!" Dianna agreed.

"Can you remember what he looked like?"

Dianna scrunched up her nose in concentration.

"He was wearing a suit, kind of old, but clean. He had on a blue shirt, no tie, and his shoes were black and dusty. Like he hadn't worn them for a long time."

Lisbon was impressed with this girl's observational skills.

"And he had blond long hair, but he had it tied up and shoved up into his ball cap. He kept his head down but as I passed him he turned and looked at me, so I got a quick look at his face."

"You're doing really well, keep going" Lisbon said.

"Um. He's white, around 40, skinny, he's got a long scar running down the left side of his face, like it was made by a knife. He had small gold studs in both ears, which I thought was kinda funny, don't know why…"

"Yes?"

"And...well what else..." Dianna said to herself, trying to remember more.

"He walked funny" a male voice said from the group.

Lisbon looked for the boy who spoke. A black haired boy stepped forward.

"Ok, he walked funny. Tell me how he walked funny" Lisbon pushed him.

"I just noticed that he walked funny, like one leg might have been longer than the other, but he tried to hide it" he said cautiously.

"Why do you say that?" Lisbon asked.

"Well, um, because my Dad has one leg shorter than the other and he walks like that" the boy admitted shyly.

"Yeah, I think he's right" Dianna agreed.

Lisbon was very impressed with what the kids had told her.

"Anything else you can remember? Anyone?" she asked.

The group grew silent and looked from one to the other, blankly. They were done.

"I have to say, you have been a big help, really, a big help. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me" Lisbon said, smiling.

The kids smiled back, feeling proud that they could help in some small way. As they filed out, Lisbon called Dianna over.

"You've given us a lot of information to work with. Have you ever considered going into police work? You're very observant!" she smiled.

"Ha! My Dad just tells me I'm nosey!" Dianna answered with a laugh. "I hadn't ever thought of police work...but it might be interesting" she said with curiosity.

"Well if you ever want to know more about it, come and visit me, watch us work, maybe job shadow for a day. Might be worth considering" Lisbon said, handing the girl a business card.

Dianna gazed at the card and slipped it into her purse.

"I just might do that!"

"Could you come by the CBI today and work with a sketch artist so that we can make a composite drawing of our bomber?" Lisbon asked.

"Sure. I'm free in about a half hour. Is that OK?" Dianna asked, excited to do something so unusual.

"That would work perfectly. Gives me time to get it all set up. See you then" Lisbon suggested.

"Ok, see you then!" Dianna grinned. Boy oh boy...wait til she told her parents about her day!


	5. The Break

Bit by bit the CBI is getting closer to discovering who the bomber is. Things are about to get tense!

Embers

Chapter 5

The Break

While Lisbon was out interviewing the high school kids, Jane had been busy as well. There had to be a way they could shepherd their perp towards a location of their choosing, so that they could control the scene and contain any damage he might try to create. After much thought and some research, Jane was sure he could come up with the information they needed to kick start a solution. He was sitting on her sofa, eyes closed in concentration when Lisbon returned from Sacramento District High School.

"Still here? I thought you were going to come up with some amazing plan to catch our bomber!" Lisbon teased as she dropped her shoulder bag and sat down in her chair.

"My current state of relaxation doesn't mean I haven't been doing my part to stop the bomber in his tracks Lisbon. You above all others should know that" he smiled, folding his hands across his lap.

Lisbon smirked but knew he was itching to tell her what he had discovered in her absence. She could play along for a while longer.

"I don't know any such thing Jane. What did you find out that's so important that you sat here waiting for me like a puppy waiting for his master to return home?" she grinned.

"A puppy? My master? Really? Bit of a cliched analogy isn't it Agent Lisbon?" Jane said, looking wounded, before leaning forward to disclose his plan to Lisbon.

"Sacramento has a lot to offer citizens culturally, on a year 'round basis. There's something for everyone!" he said enthusiastically.

Lisbon made a show of glancing at some random forms on her desk and didn't take the bait.

"Is there?" she replied with evident disinterest.

"There is. And two weeks from now, our guy might be forced to act" Jane said, eager to share his information.

"Two weeks from now? Jane, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Jane sat grinning like the cat who ate the canary. He had read up on the latest happenings in and around Sacramento and zeroed in on one big piece of information.

"What is happening in Sacramento in two weeks?" Jane prodded Lisbon, knowing she would have no idea what he meant.

Lisbon blinked and had to think. What was Jane talking about? She was so busy with police work she was quite unaware of the cultural happenings of the city until long after they were finished.

"I don't know Jane. What's happening in two weeks that could catch our guy's attention?"

"The Sacramento Art Festival. A city wide exhibition of work produced by local artists. Art will be in all public spaces, libraries, galleries, schools, transit stations, cafes, restaurants...literally everywhere."

"I saw posters on some street signs...wondered what that was about..." Lisbon said, as the reality of the situation hit her. "Oh God Jane!"

"Yes."

"Jane, what are we going to do? There is no way we can police an event that spread out!" Lisbon confirmed. "Securing the event will be a nightmare."

Jane tapped his fingertips together, a nervous tell that Lisbon knew well by now. "I know...I know."

"We should tell the City Council to cancel the event until we catch our perp" Lisbon suggested.

"Mmmm...not sure we will need to do that…"

"It would prevent a bombing, maybe prevent another death Jane!"

"Well there is that, but what if an art installation is the best way to draw our guy out into the open?"

"That's a pretty big 'if' Jane, and how would we know where he would pop up? There are too many variables to factor in all over a city this big."

"Not if we plan our own event before the Arts Festival. We could make the venue so hard to resist he just has to show up. Advertise an event so perverse, so harmful to the gentle citizens of Sacramento that he can't help but show up and stop it before it does more harm!"

Jane was sitting on the edge of the sofa now, fully engaged in his plan. Lisbon could see where he was going with this line of reasoning, but still, it would be a crap shoot. They didn't have much time to work with the Arts Council and the Mayor would have to sign off on the operation. If he didn't go along with it, they were dead in the water.

"We'd have to get the Mayor on board with this Jane."

"Leave that to me!"

Lisbon had to laugh at this suggestion. "No way in hell Jane. I will speak to him. You stay here."

Seeing that he had swayed her to his way of thinking, Jane let the subject drop. "OK, you win. He'll listen to you. Flatter his ego, make him think the success of the operation will fuel his re-election chances."

"Oh crap. Talk about a downside…" Lisbon groaned.

"Mayor Torrelli will sink himself come re-election time without our help so don't worry about it my dear" Jane smiled, standing up to leave, mission accomplished. Now he just had to think up some crazy event, crazy enough to bring a bomber out of hiding.

"How did it go at the High School? Get anything out of the kids?" Jane asked as an afterthought as he paused in the doorway.

"The kids were great. A girl named Dianna noticed a lot about our perp, and a boy noticed that he had a slight limp. Dianna's coming in any time now to work with an artist to make a drawing. Once we have that, we'll send it out to Military bases across the country to see if there is a match."

"Maybe we won't need to lure our perp out after all" Jane said with a smile before walking away.

"I hope so" Teresa mumbled as she picked up another piece of paper and got back to work.

An hour later Dianna Lamont sat down with the CBI artist and proved to be a very good eye witness. With her precise description, she and the artist created a true rendering of the bomber. Satisfied that until an actual photograph of their suspect was in hand, the drawing would suffice to begin the CBI's search of the man's true identity. The sketch and description was sent out to all military bases and police stations in California. If nothing came of that search, the whole of the U.S. would be canvassed. For now, unless the bomber showed himself again, there was nothing Lisbon could do, but wait.

(CBI - Next Morning)

Jane was busy making plans, which he had not shared with the team yet, plans that he hoped would ensnare the bomber before he set off another incendiary device. The rest of the team had their assignments and kept their heads down, working silently. Lisbon was in her office, filling out reports but willing the phone to ring with news that someone, somewhere, recognized the face in the drawing. It was too early to hope for a response. The bureaucratic wheels turned slowly. Who knows how many layers of personnel the drawing would pass through before the right person studied the face and did something about finding a name to go along with it? Lunch time came and went but still no response.

Jane had left the building by 1pm and hadn't returned by 3, so Lisbon figured he was done for the day. Unless they were called out to a crime scene, there was every chance that he was out doing his own 'thing'. At the very least Lisbon hoped his time was going to be productive, leading to a plan to catch their perp. Time would tell.

By 4:30, Lisbon had given up hope that the drawing would get a result that day, but at 4:45 the phone rang. Someone from the personnel office at a military base in Southern California needed to speak to Special Agent Teresa Lisbon.

"Agent Lisbon, how can I help you Sergeant?"

"Agent, I received your request to find a man who might have served in the military at some point. I ran your sketch through our system and we have a hit. I found a photo of a soldier who served for 8 years. He looks exactly like the man in your drawing."

"That's wonderful! What's his name, and how can I reach him? Do you have a current address for him?"

The Sergeant paused, then carried on, his news not what Lisbon wanted to hear.

"Well I'm sorry, but we no longer have an address for him Agent. He died 5 years ago. He was deployed in Afghanistan and was killed in a bomb explosion while driving up a stretch of highway. There was only one survivor in his truck. But I'm sure that this is the man in the photo. They look the same to me."

"Are you sure he's dead? I mean, mistakes can be made. The man we're searching for is very much alive Sergeant."

"Ma'am, all I know is that Captain William Murdock is dead. His body was recovered, identified by his next of kin and sent home for a full military burial. There is no doubt as to his identity. Someone else must just look like him, that's all."

Lisbon hadn't expected to find and also lose her man at the same time. She was hoping for better news. If the man in the photo who served in the army was dead, they were no farther ahead. There had to be an explanation. How could these men look so similar?

"Agent?"

Lisbon snapped back to attention. "Yes Sergeant?"

"I was just thinking. Maybe it would help if you spoke to one of Billy Murdock's buddies... the man who survived the bombing. And his brother, he might talk to you too."

For some reason, this seemed like a lifeline being dangled to Lisbon. Even with a dead man, she hoped something would come out of meeting his friend and a brother.

"Can you send me as much information about Captain Murdock as you are allowed, barring confidential military files?"

"Yes Agent, no problem. Just give me your contact information and I'll get it right over to you, including a photo of Captain Murdock" the young man agreed. "Only thing is, we don't have current information on his brother's location. Sorry."

Lisbon hung up the phone in disappointment. Maybe the army Captain had nothing to do with the bombings, but there might be something useful in his file. Lisbon felt like she was grasping at straws. If Dianna Lamont recognized Murdock's face, they were onto something. After she got off the phone, Lisbon looked up the man who had served in the war with Murdock. Marty Simmons had left the army a year after William Murdock died, and was living just 45 minutes away in a small town and worked in a vineyard. It was probably going to be a wild goose chase, but Lisbon wanted to go and speak with him. Picking up her car keys, she grabbed her purse and left the office.

"Jane, where are you?" she barked into her phone as she headed towards the parking lot.

"Hello to you too" Jane smiled into the phone.

"Want to come with me to wine country? I have a lead" Lisbon said cryptically.

"I should leave the office more often. It seems my absence makes things happen" Jane suggested.

"I wish...where are you? Can I pick you up?" Lisbon asked again. Jane was at the library, not surprising, and arranged for Lisbon to swing by and pick him up on her way out of town.

She filled him in on the latest as they made their way out of Sacramento towards a small vineyard where Marty Simmons worked as the manager.

"So why are we going to talk to an ex-soldier about his friend if the friend is dead Lisbon? Unless we have a ghost bomber, what's the connection?" Jane asked after spending many minutes in silence.

Lisbon shook her head. Even she wasn't sure why she wanted to talk to the man. But Jane wasn't the only person who trusted his gut feelings, and Teresa's gut was telling her to go and talk to Marty.

"It can't hurt Jane, and if Marty and Billy Murdock were such good friends, maybe Marty knows why our perp looks so much like Billy."

"There's a brother to consider as well. Are you thinking Billy's brother is a bomber?"

Lisbon turned to face Jane. "The thought crossed my mind. We don't have a name for him but what if he's ex-military too? What if he had munitions training and has some kind of bone to pick with the City of Sacramento? Stranger things have happened."

"And you think Marty might have the answers…" Jane concluded.

"It's thin...isn't it?" Lisbon said softly.

"Thin, but not invisible. And it's a nice day for a drive. Pull over there and I'll buy us some ice cream cones" Jane suggested, pointing to a shop just ahead.

By the time the ice cream cones were gone, Lisbon was pulling into the vineyard and hoped their trip had not been in vain.

A beautiful wine tasting shop was located in a large, spacious atrium attached to the main building. A man was speaking quietly with two tourists and nodded at them when they walked in.

"That's our man" Jane whispered as he picked up a bottle of Pinot Noir.

"How do you know that's Marty Simmons?" Lisbon muttered back.

Jane snickered. "Ahhh...name tag Boss."

Lisbon whacked him across the upper arm and walked over to where Simmons was finishing up his talk to the visitors.

"Mr. Simmons?"

"Yes, how can I help you?"

Lisbon showed her badge and introduced herself and Jane.

"Mind if I ask you a few questions about Billy Murdock?"

Simmons looked surprised to hear that name after so many years, but smiled sadly and indicated a table where they could sit and speak in private.

"Billy Murdock. Haven't heard his name in a few years. I served with him. Since he's dead, I don't suppose he's in trouble?"

"No, no trouble, but we wanted to ask you a few questions about him in relation to a current case. You were stationed in Afghanistan with him I understand? And you survived that IED that killed Billy?"

"Yes. Billy and I went through basic training together. He was a great guy, and a very good soldier. I always told him I'd make Captain first, but he did. And he deserved to be Captain. The men had complete trust in his leadership. I somehow managed to survive that bomb with serious injuries, and after recovering, I left the army a year later. I miss Billy every single day."

"Did you know Billy before you signed up?" Jane asked.

"Yes, we met in University. I got to know his parents and his brother. Nice family. They were devastated when Billy died."

"Are Billy's parents still alive?"

"No, his Dad had a heart attack soon after hearing that his son had been killed. His mother died last year, cancer."

"You said he has a brother, or two?" Jane asked.

"Only one brother, Virgil. Billy and Virgil grew up in Fresno, but Virgil left Fresno after Billy's funeral. Don't know what happened to him. I often wonder about him."

"Why's that?" Lisbon asked, leaning forward in interest.

"Oh, well, he was just...I don't know...different I guess" Marty said sheepishly.

"Different how?" Jane prodded.

Marty shook his head, embarrassed. "I shouldn't say such things. He was a good guy, really. He and Billy were real close. I never saw two brothers who loved each other so much, so obviously. They were only a year apart in age, but Virgil always looked up to Billy like he was much older and wiser."

"Did Virgil serve in the army or any branch of the military like his brother?" Lisbon asked.

"No. Not that he didn't want to serve, but...well...he tried to enlist, had the physical, was in great shape, big enough, strong enough… even with a slight limp he would have made it through basic training."

"But the military rejected him" Jane interjected. "Why?"

Marty looked uncomfortable. He hated to speak badly of Virgil. He'd really liked him when he was younger.

"He couldn't pass the psychological exam. Don't know why. Didn't want to pry, but for some reason, and believe me we get some wacko's in the service, for some reason he was denied on the basis of what he wrote on that test."

"How did Virgil take the news?" Lisbon asked, getting a tingle up her spine. This was...something.

Marty wrung his hands together, remembering the scene at the Murdock home when Virgil went on a rant about not being good enough to serve.

"He took it badly, really badly. Said it wasn't fair, he had as much smarts as the next guy. He could learn to shoot, he could do his part for America. I think he was devastated to be rejected by the one organization he desperately wanted to join. But, you know, in a way I wasn't surprised he didn't pass muster and get accepted."

"Go on…" Lisbon said softly.

Marty looked off into the distance to the acres of green fields outside the window, row after row of grape vines to the horizon. He had such a good life now. To say anything bad about poor Virgil didn't seem fair at all.

"Marty?"

"Oh, sorry. Ahh, like I was saying. Virgil really wanted to serve, but only Billy and I got accepted. We could have all three of us gone into training together, but it wasn't supposed to happen I guess. Virgil idolized Billy, to the point where it would have been difficult for him to take orders from anyone else, at least that's my opinion. And he had these crazy ideas about religion."

"What denomination did he belong to?" Jane asked, wondering where all this was going.

"Oh he didn't go to church. He believed that there was a Universal consciousness that ruled heaven and earth. Now, I know that lots of folks believe that too, but he took it a step further. He really believed that there was an entity, like a living force out there, that spoke to him. He would sometimes admit that the Universe spoke to him at night. I tell you, it was weird."

Jane looked at Lisbon and saw the spark of fear in her eyes. Maybe this trip wasn't a waste of time after all.

"Did Virgil ever do anything strange, based on these beliefs?" Lisbon asked.

"Oh no. It was just his own crazy thing. Other than that he was just a regular guy. He did well in school and worked a variety of jobs. Learned real fast. Good with his hands as I recall. After I got called overseas to the war, I never saw him again until the funeral. Billy always kept in touch, and whenever he got leave, he went home and spent time with Virgil. That kid wanted to know everything about being a soldier. How to shoot, how to set up camp, how to assemble a gun, how to make an improvised bomb, you know…"

Lisbon's stomach sank. Virgil Murdock knew how to make bombs.

"So Billy taught Virgil how to be a good soldier" Jane said simply.

"Yes, I guess so."

"Did Virgil look very much like his brother Billy?"

"Spitting image, swear to God. Like twins, except Virgil had a big scar down the side of his face from a biking accident when he was in high school."

Lisbon swallowed a hard lump in her throat and looked at Jane. It was time to go. They had their answers.

"Mr. Simmons, I can't tell you how helpful you've been to one of our cases. If we need anything else, I'll be in contact" Lisbon said.

They had their man. Virgil Murdock.


	6. Setting a Trap

I wish I could reply to my guest reviewers, but that isn't possible. Thank you for your reviews though, much appreciated! Here is a much longer chapter, leading up to quite an explosive series of events very soon!

Embers

Chapter 6

Setting a Trap

As soon as Lisbon and Jane were back in the SUV Lisbon got on her phone to Cho. She needed to find Virgil Murdock and bring him in ASAP. If he was indeed their bomber, they had to have him locked up before the Arts Festival began in two weeks. If he was getting instructions from some all powerful celestial Deity that only he could hear, they needed to stop him before he believed it was time to strike another target to appease his Master.

By the time they arrived back in the bullpen, it was alive with activity. The military file had arrived and was sitting on Lisbon's desk. Now they had a good photo of William Murdock to show to Dianna Lamont. Even without a scar on his face, he might be a very close match to their bomber. Van Pelt had been busy with an internet search, trying to find any Virgil Murdock in California. The few that turned up were too old, too young, the wrong ethnicity or in jail for other crimes. The man they sought didn't seem to have a footprint in any location remotely close to Sacramento. Where could he hide? Phone records, bank accounts, utility bills, rental agreements, all of the usual resources she used to find someone had so far yielded no hits. Virgil was a ghost.

Rigsby examined the fragments of the home made IED, knowing now that their perp had most likely been taught by his military brother how to defuse one, but more importantly, how to construct one. If even one piece of it could be sourced, it would be another big break to help discover Virgil's hiding place.

Jane left his team to do what they did best, while he reclined on his sofa to continue planning his own lure to catch the bomber. If Van Pelt failed to find him soon, they would have to activate Jane's plan and hope for the best.

(5 Days Later)

Dianna Lamont had confirmed that the man she saw looked exactly like Captain Murdock, except for for the facial scar. Now they knew for sure Virgil was their bomber but were no closer to discovering his hiding place. Their perp seemed to be on a mission to clean up Sacramento and rid it of immoral behaviour, whether it was the immorality of dangerous playgrounds for poor children, or the immorality surrounding kids and teenagers in the art they saw all around them in public places. Jane believed that if they created an event so obviously in bad taste, their perp couldn't stay away. If Virgil was armed with a bomb, they would have to get it away from him before it exploded. Jane had come up with a plan, a lure, but would Virgil take the bait?

"Are all of the security cameras in place? Every corner covered, every entrance and exit?" Lisbon asked for the umpteeth time, worried about her team's safety.

"Yes Boss, we've got it covered" Rigsby assured her.

They were standing in a rented hall, filled with art that all of them agreed was disgusting. Lisbon had managed to convince City Council that putting such salacious artwork in a public place, and then advertising it under the guise of a profound cultural experience, could possibly be the fastest way to catch their perp before anyone else died. The Mayor was understandably worried about his reputation, but when Lisbon told him and his Councillors that it would be the quickest way to trap their man, they relented and gave the CBI as much cooperation as they could. Jane had the local university on side as well. The Fine Art department got their best art students involved, to create paintings, sculptures and interactive multimedia "experiences" in such poor taste that only under these extreme circumstances would they ever be allowed to be shown. As Jane had explained to Lisbon, it was easier to ask for forgiveness of the people of Sacramento, than permission. Once their bomber was in prison, the Mayor could make himself a hero by explaining the hideous art installation was the best way to get the bomber off the streets for good.

Now, it all just had to go according to plan. Lisbon had promised the Mayor that only people over the age of 18 would be allowed to view the exhibit, however, she would leak a story to the local news outlets that students younger than 18 had managed to get inside. This was what Lisbon and Jane hoped would set their perp off in a rage. If he became incensed enough, he would show up. Fingers crossed…

Posters and advertisements for the event had gone up three days earlier, and as the opening of the exhibit neared, gossip and anticipation was in the air. Talk radio DJ's were fielding phone calls from irate taxpayers who wanted this travesty shut down. TV morning show hosts locally fed the hysteria by hyping the show and warning their viewers to keep their kids far far away. Jane couldn't have been more pleased by the way everyone bought into the whole ridiculous, 'perverted' event.

(Virgil's Apartment)

He had been watching the news, saw the posters around the city, felt his outrage growing. How dare the city allow such a perversion? Art so disgusting that they had to warn parents not to let their kids come to the pop-up gallery to view the art on display! It was more than he could tolerate. So far the Universe had not intervened, had not told him to stop the showing with a bomb to send a message to the Mayor that he had gone to far. Virgil was desperate to plant his latest bomb at the show, so why wasn't the message coming from above to just do it?

Virgil took public transit downtown to see for himself just what was going on at the temporary art exhibit. Money was getting tight, and using his green van would soon be luxury he couldn't afford. The day before the opening, he stood across the street in a doorway and studied the location. The commotion at the temporary gallery was building as more and more pieces of art were delivered, and the number of people milling around grew by the hour. It took a while for Virgil to notice something odd, and for that he could kick himself. Beside the hired moving company workers going in and out, he saw faces that seemed familiar to him. Faces he had seen before but they weren't people he actually knew. A strong Asian man lingered around the property, unsmiling and on edge, keeping watch on the building and everyone who entered. He had seen that face before.

A tall blond man, in a suit, had been hanging around as well, and he most certainly was not an employee of the moving company. Was he the organizer of this show? He was memorable, and Virgil knew for sure he had seen the blond man before...but where? As he tried to recall where he had seen Jane, a tiny dark-haired woman drove up and entered the building, stopping to speak with the Asian man.

That was it! Virgil remembered where he had seen these people before! He had recorded the TV reports of the bomb explosion at the private art gallery and watched the footage over and over again, gleaning as much information as he could about the investigation. The camera had briefly panned over firefighters, police officers, agents wearing CBI vests and neighbourhood gawkers. He had been in that crowd of curious onlookers that day, in a disguise. These people here today were CBI officers! Virgil's mind was swimming with this realization. CBI officers would not be involved with the set-up of an art display. They had bombings to investigate, a death to investigate...

The whole thing was a scam!

As the truth revealed itself to Virgil, he quickly turned and walked away from the activity with his head down, afraid of being seen. Now he understood why the Universe had not told him what to do! The whole event was a trap and he almost walked into it with a bomb in his pocket! A thin cold bolt of fear shot up his spine as he made his way home, aware for the first time that the police and CBI were onto him. They expected Virgil to bomb the art exhibit, but how could they know that? The bomb would have to be detonated somewhere else, some place that no one would expect. Yes, he had to step outside of his plans to save the city from itself and do something totally unexpected.

A wry smile creased Virgil's face as he stepped onto a city bus. He could do something spectacular, something so shocking that the investigation would grind to a halt! A warmth filled his heart as he understood now that his mission had to change, morph with circumstances beyond his control. Isn't that what he had always been taught? By the time he arrived at his small apartment, a new plan was taking shape in his mind.

At 10 am the doors would open and the first of the curious onlookers would be allowed inside the art show. The CBI had been monitoring any and all complaints coming in to the 'organizers' of the event, as well as complaints received at tv and radio stations and as always, City Hall. So far nothing had caught their attention that could lead them to believe their bomber was about to strike. The whole thing might be a colossal waste of time and effort.

"Boss?"

"Yes Grace?"

"Boss, I think we have something!" Grace said with concern. "Look."

Grace held out her phone, with a text message on it from the Mayor. He had just received a threatening message from someone who wanted the exhibit to be shut down immediately. The anonymous message threatened severe repercussions unless the Mayor acted that morning.

"Thanks Grace. Put me through to Mayor Torrelli" Lisbon said, both thrilled that maybe their plan was working, and worried that their perp had already managed to by-pass their efforts to secure the facility.

On the second ring, the Mayor picked up.

"Agent Lisbon, so good to speak to you again!"

"Thank you Mayor. I understand you've been warned to shut down the exhibit. Warned how? By phone call, by text, in person? How?"

"A note. Exactly like those other notes sent before the bombs went off, that's why I contacted your Agent. Agent Lisbon, I think this is our guy and he's going to do something terrible today!" the Mayor said in a panic, afraid now for his reputation more than for the safety of his citizens.

"Keep that note, it's evidence Mr. Mayor. We have everything under control here. When our perp sees that the show is opening even after he sent his note, he will have to show himself at some point. Then we'll move in and catch him."

"Do I have your promise you'll catch him today?" Torrelli demanded.

Lisbon couldn't make any such promise. This was all a crapshoot and she knew it, but it was the best they could do today to force their bomber to make a rash mistake.

"You have my promise that we are doing everything we can to get this man off the street and into custody. With some luck and a lot of work, it could all be over very soon" she said, hoping it would convince the nervous man.

"I'll hold you to that promise Agent Lisbon. The future of your department depends upon the success of this sting. Stay in touch!" he said before hanging up.

"Good grief…" Lisbon muttered, handing the phone back to Van Pelt.

Jane, Van Pelt, Rigsby, Cho and numerous other agents from the Serious Crimes Unit were all ready to take their places, acting as tour guides and observers. The visitors to this show would be screened by security and carefully scrutinized every moment they spent in the facility.

"Ok people, everyone get in place and let's open the doors at 10 am sharp. Let's not keep our bomber waiting!" Lisbon said.

The group broke up and dispersed around the large room. Lisbon stood off to one side to watch as each person was let in. Jane stationed himself near the worst piece of 'art' to see what kind of reactions it garnered. Cho and Rigsby wandered around by the two exits, with the other agents keeping watch everywhere else.

At 10 am sharp, the doors opened and the first group of curious people streamed in. Wave after wave of people "oohed and aahed" over the salacious paintings and other pieces on display. No one looked like they were angry enough to throw a bomb, and no one matched the physical description of the man in the suit that Dianna Lamont had given them. By noon the whole exercise looked like it would be a waste of effort. Plainclothes police, agents from the CBI dressed as casual observers and the Serious Crimes team all mingled in the curious crowd, but no one behaved in any way other than slightly scandalized and titillated by what they were seeing. Cameras were recording everyone who entered, just in case something came up later and they needed to verify a face in the crowd.

By 5:10 pm the last of the art gallery patrons had left and the CBI was left with a roomful of lousy art to show for their efforts.

"Well that was a bust!" Rigsby said in disgust. "Looks like our guy isn't all that interested in art after all."

Jane stood nearby and gazed out of the large front window at the crowd dissipating across the street to the nearby parking lot. He was disappointed too, but maybe it was too early to call the whole thing a failure.

"Maybe not."

"Nothing happened Jane!" Rigsby said in frustration.

"And for that I for one am grateful, not particularly wanting to be blown to Kingdom Come, but we don't know for sure our bomber wasn't here."

Cho was willing to give Jane the benefit of the doubt.

"What's your point?"

"My point is...we now have hours of footage of men to look at, to compare with the description given to us by Dianna Lamont."

"We didn't see anyone like that Jane" Lisbon reminded him.

"No, no we didn't. But we do have footage of the crowd that gathered outside the art gallery when it blew up. Every news crew in town was there to cover the story. It wouldn't be the first time a perp hung out in the crowd to watch the results of his handiwork. What if our guy came back in some kind of disguise? We know he was careful to hide his face from the CCTV cameras on the street before the bombing, but if he came back dressed differently, maybe wearing a wig, glasses, something different, he wouldn't be picked out in the crowd. If he came here, today, in that same disguise, we'll see him in our footage. After that, facial recognition software can determine if it's the same guy who bombed the art gallery."

"But we know it was Virgil Murdock who bombed the gallery Jane" Van Pelt said.

"We need proof it was him. So far we just know he has the capability to make a bomb, but we don't have proof that would stand up in a court of law. So, we need to see him at the scene after the bombing."

"Ok then, let's get back and look at the footage" Cho said, not wanting to spend another minute in this place.

It took another 20 minutes for all of the various agents and police to clear out and lock the building, but soon Lisbon and her team were back at the office, ready to log some serious hours looking at faces in a crowd. It might be a long night.

Jane got busy making everyone coffee and himself a tea while Van Pelt synched up two sets of film. One was from the coverage of the actual bombing site, spliced together from the various networks locally and statewide, while the other was their footage from the show today. With some diligent work, maybe someone would see some overlap.

Jane settled down and watched both screens simultaneously, his eyes flicking back and forth, memorizing faces. He could kick himself for not paying closer attention to the crowd that morning when he stood on the smoldering remains of the bombed art gallery, but now he would have a second chance to study the onlookers.

"What exactly should we be looking for Jane? Any way to cut down the search?" Rigsby asked, daunted by the huge task facing all of them.

Jane never took his eyes off the screens, and took his time answering, not really wanting to interrupt his concentration.

"Look...for someone...ahhh...not interested in the bomb site….someone interested in the collateral damage, the attention from the media...attention on...us" he said as he stayed focussed on the faces swimming in front of him.

Rigsby nodded but wasn't sure that was going to be of much help to him. But it was Jane, so he was probably right.

Silence fell on the group as each team member scanned the footage, trying to see if anyone showed up twice. It was an exhausting process. More than an hour had passed before Cho got up to stretch and go for more coffee. Rigsby wasn't far behind. Jane stayed in place, not wanting to miss anything.

"There! Grace, stop the film!" Jane shouted, pointing to the screen showing the crowd outside the demolished art gallery.

All eyes turned to Jane, then back to the screens.

"What is it Jane?" Lisbon asked, staring at the frozen image.

"That guy...on the left, behind the woman with the big hair" Jane mumbled, getting up to put his finger on the screen.

A middle aged woman with very poofy hair stood in front of a slim, 40ish man who was wearing sunglasses and a beige jacket. He had dark hair and a full black beard, leaving little of his face showing.

"Can you slow the video down frame by frame, until we see him standing away from that woman?" Jane asked.

"Sure..just let me…" Van Pelt mumbled to herself. "Ok, got it!"

Everyone stood up and stared at the image of the man as he stepped forward to get a better look at the people examining the crime scene. He seemed bemused, not scared, not shocked, just pleased to be there.

"Can you rewind the footage from the art gallery today, from around the 2:30 pm time signature?" Jane asked Van Pelt. "Go slowly when you get there."

"Ok, can do" she agreed, busy with her program.

At the 2:30 pm marker, she slowed the film down as Lisbon and her team stared at the footage, focussing on every man's face as he came into view. The cameras had been set so that if anyone stared at any of the art, they would be filmed. At the 2:43 marker, Jane stood up again and shouted to stop the film. Everyone had seen what he saw and were on their feet too.

"That's him!" Rigsby said in disbelief. "Same coat, same beard and dark hair."

"Never makes eye contact with the camera, tries to avoid it, but we got the bastard" Cho said.

Lisbon turned to Jane, happy he found the same man twice, but this didn't prove anything, not yet.

"This could just be a neighbourhood resident who came out to see what all the fuss was about Jane, it doesn't make him our bomber."

Jane shook his head and walked back towards his sofa.

"I think that when we run facial recognition software, it will show that the man on the CCTV footage is the same man we just saw twice today. Blond hair or black, beard or clean shaven, this is our guy" he said with certainty.

Lisbon sighed with frustration. If Van Pelt could get a match, and that would be a very big if, considering how little of the man's face was visible on the CCTV footage, Jane might be right. But then they would still have to figure out just where the hell Virgil was. Still a lot of unanswered questions had to be resolved.

"Van Pelt?" Lisbon began, but Grace was already walking back to her desk.

"On it Boss."

Across town Virgil was shaking with rage. The Universe had let him down. Even with his warning to the Mayor, the disgusting art show had continued, and he had seen it with his own eyes. Surely the Universe wanted him to do something about it? Why had she been silent? Did she want Virgil to see something else, some other target that needed to be taken out? Taking a beer out of his small fridge, Virgil once again turned on his PVR and watched the footage of the bombed art gallery and all of the various police officers crawling around the crime scene. They were like ants, vermin, rats...all dressed in black and tenacious in their search for evidence of the bomber.

Well rats weren't the only tenacious vermin on earth. And they could be eliminated.

Suddenly Virgil realized what the Universe wanted him to do. Why he hadn't seen it sooner was a mystery to him, but now that all was revealed, he smiled and relaxed. He knew where the next bomb had to go and who needed to be wiped out. Like vermin on a dunghill. He'd show the Mayor what happened when he didn't listen to reason.

Virgil spent the night planning. There was a lot to do, a lot to learn, but with patience he knew he'd be successful. By morning, he had it all figured out.

(CBI - Morning)

When Lisbon arrived, Van Pelt was already at work, with Rigsby once again mooning over her with a donut in his hand. Some things never changed.

"Morning" Lisbon called out, and enjoyed watching Rigs leap back and away from Grace's desk. He was like a love-struck high school boy.

"Morning Boss" came two voices in return.

"Boss, I ran the facial recognition software on our perp in the videos, and it is Virgil Murdock, no question" Grace informed her.

"Thanks Grace. Now we have something that will stand up in court. I want every TV station and newspaper to run his photograph. Someone somewhere knows Virgil. We need tips from the public if we're going to pull him out of his hiding place and we have to do it before the Art Festival begins. I'm afraid he won't be able to resist a target that big."

"I'm working on it Boss" Van Pelt assured her and switched over to another program on her computer.

Soon Cho and Jane showed up and another day was spent solving old crimes and trying to locate Virgil. At noon, Rigsby invited everyone to go for Italian food to break up the tension and improve team spirit. Plus, he was very hungry. Lisbon resisted joining her team for lunch. She had so much paperwork to do!

"Come on Boss, for once just come out with us and have a bit of fun in the middle of the day" Van Pelt begged her.

Jane smiled at Lisbon, daring her to come along. While he often disappeared at noon to do his own thing, today he felt Grace was right, it was time for a team lunch.

"Only if Jane has to come as well. I'm not the only one who's going to gain 10 pounds before my coffee break!" Lisbon said, relenting to pressure.

"I would love to come along. I suggest Vidalio's on Charles Street. They make excellent manicotti" Jane grinned.

"Ok then, Italian it is!" Wayne smiled.

At 12:15 everyone got up and headed for the elevators. Outside, Wayne, Grace and Cho got into one vehicle, Jane and Lisbon into another SUV. They would be gone for at least an hour. After that, nothing would ever be the same.


	7. Enough is Enough

Virgil is getting pushed too far and just might snap!

Embers

Chapter 7

Enough is Enough

Several streets away, Virgil called a local bakery, placing an order for pastries in a box and a few for himself in a bag. Included in the box would be a small card, with a message he dictated over the phone to the baker. He was sure the pastries would go over with a bang.

Ten minutes later the door to the bakery opened and a young man slipped into his small van to deliver the pastries to the address on his schedule. As soon as he turned onto a quiet one way street, an arm came up and around his throat, and a cloth soaked in chloroform was clamped over his nose and mouth. The car slowed down and bumped into the curb as the driver slipped into unconsciousness. Virgil got out of the back seat and pushed the driver over to the passenger seat. Taking the young man's bakery hat and apron off him, Virgil dressed himself as the delivery man and continued on his way. With luck, once he arrived at the grand building he'd talk himself right past security and take the elevator upstairs where his foe worked.

Lisbon was just finishing her cannoli when her phone buzzed. It was the Mayor on the line.

"Oh crap, what does _he_ want?" she muttered before putting on a smile and greeting him.

"Mayor Torrelli, what a pleasure" she answered.

"Any progress on the case Agent Lisbon? I've got a mountain of complaints on my desk about that fiasco you and your agents pulled the other day. What do you have to show for it?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes at Jane while he smirked. "As it turns out Mr. Mayor, we did make some progress by holding that fake art show. We feel very certain we now know the identity of the bomber. It's just a matter of finding him and bringing him in."

"Well get on it Agent Lisbon! Every day he's out there, my citizens are in danger!"

"Yes Mayor, I understand. We're doing everything we can to bring him to justice. As soon as he's in custody, you'll be the first person I call." She hung up with a snort of derision.

"Is our illustrious Mayor getting impatient?" Jane asked as he stood up to go.

"Yes, and I don't blame him. We can count ourselves lucky another bomb hasn't been detonated recently. We're on borrowed time" Lisbon groused, shoving her plate away.

"With Virgil's photo all over the news, someone will recognize him and phone in a tip" Van Pelt said hopefully. The man lived somewhere, had a life and a job somewhere. Surely someone would know him!

"It better be soon. If another bomb goes off we can kiss our funding goodbye" Lisbon said with certainty.

The jovial mood of the lunch had disappeared with the Mayor's phone call and now it was back to work for the frustrated team.

(Martin's Grove Apartments)

Mrs. Altamonte didn't move much these days, what with her arthritis and gout, so she spent most of her time in front of the TV, watching her favourite daytime talk shows and the news. The small amount of rent money she collected from her poor tenants was just enough to keep her going for another year in the crumbling building. As she sat down with a cup of tea, a familiar looking face was flashed onto the screen. She reached for the remote and cranked up the sound, trying to make out what the man on the news was saying.

"Wanted for questioning in regards to recent bombings, police are asking the public to call in any tips about the location of Virgil Murdock. All calls will be kept confidential."

The old woman recognized the face on the screen, but that wasn't the man's name. He was Billy Star. He'd been living in her basement apartment for 6 months and always paid cash for his rent. Billy, not Virgil. What the heck was his picture doing on the TV? The police wanted to talk to him? Well, she didn't want to get poor Billy in trouble but she knew that the police had the wrong guy on the TV. She decided to call them and set them straight.

(Downtown Sacramento)

Virgil found an alleyway and rolled the unconscious bake shop delivery guy out of the side door of the van. Now he got back in the vehicle and made his way to his destination. There he was stopped in the parking lot when confronted by the security guard. He flashed the company badge and held up the box of pastries.

"Delivery for someone lucky on the 3rd floor" he smiled brightly.

Dan the guard waved him through. The delivery man would have to get past security inside, so he didn't need to slow him down. Virgil parked close to the main door and grabbed the bright blue and white box and whistled as he walked inside the impressive old building. Ahead of him was a security guard and a metal detector. He'd have to get past both to carry out his plan.

"Delivery for the third floor. Must be somebody's birthday!" he said cheerily.

"What's in the box?" the guard asked, eyeing the package.

"Take a look" Virgil offered, opening the paper and lifting the lid to show moist, freshly baked pastries with colourful icing. "I have a few to spare. Want one?" he asked, offering a smaller bag of goodies to the guard.

The guard looked suspiciously at the package, but his sweet tooth overruled his common sense.

"Thanks, don't mind if I do!" He reached into the bag and pulled out a croissant covered in chocolate icing.

"I always bring a few extras later in the day. No use throwing them out if I can share them along the way" Virgil smiled, reaching into the bag to take one for himself.

The guard was busy licking his fingers and just waved Virgil through, neglecting to make him pass through the metal detector. Big mistake.

"Thanks man!" Virgil said over his shoulder as he stepped into the elevator.

In a minute he was on the fourth floor, and stepped out into an attractive tiled lobby. No one seemed to be around except for a few secretaries and one or two men, who paid no attention to him. Virgil walked towards a large doorway and found what he was looking for. Ahead of him was a hallway that led to a long room with several desks spread out in a line. A small kitchen was around the corner and a variety of offices could be seen along both sides of the hall. He decided to head for the offices.

Reading the name on one of the doors, and finding it unlocked, Virgil stepped inside and placed the box of pastries on the desk, pushing aside pens and file folders to make room for his package. Reaching under a false bottom in the box, he set the timer on his bomb and then closed the package again. Smiling at how easy this had been to pull off, Virgil scanned the office and turned to go, content in the knowledge that he was going to send a very powerful message this time. Three minutes later he was in his delivery van and on his way back to his apartment on the outskirts of the city. He ditched the delivery van and wiped it down for fingerprints as quickly as possible, then took a bus back to his home. As he walked through the lobby he heard old Mrs. Altamonte speaking loudly on the phone through her thin door. What he heard scared the shit out of him.

(Sacramento Police Department - 1:30pm)

The officer who took the call from an irritated older woman waved his Captain over to speak to her. He put her on 'hold' and explained to his Captain what was going on.

"Lady says the man on the TV isn't Virgil Murdock, that we've got the wrong picture or else the name is wrong. Says he lives in her building Captain!"

The police Captain grabbed the phone and took over.

"Hello Ma'am, thank you for calling. What can I do for you?"

"Why do you have Billy Star's picture on the TV? He's a sweet man and now you've gone and made him look like a criminal. And you didn't even get his name right!" she squawked.

"Ma'am, you say Virgil Murdock calls himself Billy Star? Where do you live Mrs…"

"Mrs. Altamonte. I own the Martin's Grove Apartments on Harrison Street and Billy lives in the basement apartment. He's a real nice man, wouldn't hurt a fly, so I want you to stop putting his picture on the TV like that! That's just plain wrong and will hurt his feelings!"

"I understand Mrs. Altamonte. We'll take his photo off the TV real soon. Thank you for telling us about it" the Captain assured her.

When he hung up he sprang into action.

"Virgil Murdock might be living in a basement apartment on Harrison Street, Martin's Grove Apartments. Get a SWAT team ready to surround the building. He might be armed and most likely has bombs on site."

Through the thin door, Virgil heard his name and address mentioned, heard the old woman talking to the cops. He had worked so hard to keep a low profile, keep his real name a secret, and now some senile old woman was calling the cops? Shit shit shit! He raced downstairs to his apartment in a panic and scooped up as many of his completed bombs as he could. Then he grabbed his suitcase and an armload of clothing that was scattered across the back of a chair. Time was ticking by...the police would be here soon. Finally Virgil ransacked his desk drawer and pulled out a large bag of money and ran out back to his van. Without thinking, he took one of his bombs and ran back inside one last time to leave it inside his apartment. They wouldn't find a trace of him or his weapons once the inferno claimed his former home. Setting the timer, he took one last look at what had been his sanctuary and then turned to run outside one last time.

The SWAT team arrived at the old apartment building just as the bomb exploded, sending debris flying high into the air and across the street. As sirens screamed and dazed people flooded out of their homes, Virgil was miles away, already looking for another hole to hide in. When the firefighters picked through the smoldering remains of the apartment building, they found the charred body of Mrs. Altamonte sitting in her chair in front of the shell of an incinerated TV, a melted phone in her hand.

(CBI)

After their lunch break, Jane and Lisbon arrived back at the office slightly ahead of Van Pelt, Rigsby and Cho. A phone call from the local SAC PD had alerted Lisbon that someone claimed to have Virgil as their tenant in a small basement apartment, using the name Billy Star. As soon as Van Pelt was back at her desk Lisbon would have her do a search online for any and all information about Billy Star and his connection to Virgil Murdock. SAC PD informed Lisbon that they were on their way to the apartment and would soon call with news. The noose was tightening and with luck, Virgil would be in custody within the hour.

Lisbon got off the elevator and immediately went down the hallway towards the ladies washroom. Jane ambled through the bullpen and headed for Lisbon's office to wait on her sofa for further news about Virgil's imminent arrest. Downstairs, Cho, Wayne and Grace were getting into the elevator to start another long afternoon behind their computers. Jane sat on the sofa and relaxed, glad that Virgil Murdock would soon be behind bars and out of their hair. He had been sitting for a minute or two before he happened to glance at Lisbon's desk and spotted something unusual. A bright blue and white box from a bakery sat between her paperwork and file folders. When had she had time to go shopping for treats? Was it a gift from a friend? The box wasn't there when they all left more than an hour earlier. Jane's curiosity got the better of him and he had to snoop. He loosened the string holding the wrapping paper together and lifted the lid off the box, eyeing the delicious baked goods inside. As he did, he dislodged a small note card sitting in the paper. Grinning, he picked the note up and read the inscription.

'The time to act was never yours to choose. Only when the Mother Universe calls do we truly know that our time has come. And your time has come. You had your chance.'

The grin fell off Jane's face as a sickening fear roiled through him. This message was from Virgil! Backing away from the box of goodies, he fumbled to find the doorway shouting "Lisbon!" as he turned to run towards safety. Around the corner far down the hall Teresa heard Jane shout her name and picked up her pace. That was fear in his voice. The elevator opened and Cho, Wayne and Grace stepped out. A moment later, a deafening blast shook the building as the bomb exploded on Lisbon's desk. The air was filled with dust, old bricks, debris and papers, then came the fire and smoke. Lisbon had been knocked off her feet and sent tumbling a few feet backwards down the hallway. Cho and his teammates were protected by the wall separating the lobby from the bullpen but still were knocked down by the blast. For a few moments, everything was eerily quiet. Then the sirens began to blare.


	8. Inferno

Well since it was ready, and a push from a friend convinced me to go ahead, here is the next chapter a few days early. Enjoy.

Embers

Chapter 8

Inferno

Lisbon lay on her back and felt as if a giant hand had pressed her into the old floorboards. As her head cleared she roused herself to stand on trembling legs and stared in shock at what remained of her second home, the CBI office. As plumes of smoke billowed up the hallway towards her, she looked into what should have been the bullpen. Instead she was looking into the pit of a fiery hell. Her confused and shocked brain was swirling with questions. What was happening? What caused the explosion? Where was everyone? Was she alone?

Jane! Jane had been calling out to her and then her world exploded. Oh God Jane! Where was he?

Footsteps echoed on the hard tile floor and a moment later Cho came running around the corner and swooped his Boss up into his burly arms.

"You OK Boss?"

Lisbon leaned heavily on Cho's strong arm. "I don't know. Where's Jane? He was near my office...I heard him calling...did you see him?" Lisbon sputtered, inhaling a lungful of smoke and coughing harshly.

"We'll find him Boss. You need to get out before the fire spreads" Cho said, taking over. Rigsby appeared and Cho handed Lisbon over to the tall man. She was too stunned to argue.

"She needs to get outside and get some fresh air. Have an EMT take a look at her Rigs. Jane's in here somewhere."

"OK, I'll be right back" Wayne agreed. He put his arms around a very shaky Lisbon and guided her to the nearest set of stairs as first responders finally arrived to search for survivors.

Grace flicked on a flashlight and joined Cho as they gingerly traversed the hall, getting soaked as the sprinkler system unleashed water onto the burning room. It was smoky, and they choked as they avoided burning rubble and tossed furniture while looking for their friend. As more bodies flooded into the burning room, Grace and Cho called for Jane above the voices of the firefighters. What had been an orderly room of neatly arranged furniture only minutes ago was now a smoldering pile of wreckage. Blown out windows let a cool wind into the room, further spreading the smoke and fanning the flames. A few stunned agents stumbled past Cho as he carefully stepped through the room, checking to see where he placed his feet in case a person was buried under the rubble.

"Jane! Jane! Where are you?" Grace called, coughing on the choking smoke as she swept her flashlight across the darkened piles of debris. Picking their way through the chaotic scene, Cho informed the firefighters that another man was buried somewhere in the bullpen area. Flashlights flickered over the piles of broken furniture and overturned bookcases. Ceiling tiles and insulation covered every surface, impeding the search for a body. Cho worked slowly through the room until he reached Jane's sofa, which somehow had survived the blast and was now covered in soot and loosened bricks. No sight of him. Turning towards the opposite wall, he tried to think where Jane would run with only seconds left to escape the blast. Ahead of him at the back of the room he spied the curving metal staircase leading to the catwalk overhead. He cleared a path through the debris and ran towards the stairs, the only place not on fire or smoldering. There, draped across the third step from the bottom he found Jane, curled into a ball and blackened with smoke. Blood poured out of his ear and a deep cut lacerated his forehead where flying debris had struck him down in his attempt to escape. The back of his jacket was on fire. Cho smothered the flames with his hands, not worrying about burning himself, then gently lifted Jane's head to look into his eyes.

"Jane, wake up buddy, wake up. Can you hear me Jane?" he asked. When there was no response he shone his flashlight into Jane's eyes and saw that the man had a concussion.

"Grace! I found him!" Cho yelled, and was almost immediately joined by Wayne and Grace, who were now quite blackened from soot and smoke. They all had to get out and away from the smoke before their lungs were damaged. Wayne ran to find a firefighter, who helped Cho lift Jane up and place him in a rescue basket. They carefully made their way towards the elevator lobby, where the damage was minimal. A triage post had been set up by the fire department and Jane was placed on a stretcher. As soon as it was ascertained that the elevator had not been damaged by the blast, Jane and other injured employees were taken down in order of medical priority. As the doors of the elevator opened, Lisbon was sitting waiting in the lobby to see her team again. Cho walked beside the gurney and waved Lisbon over.

"Oh thank God you found him. How is he? Is he OK?" the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Don't know. He took a pretty big hit to the head it appears" Cho told his Boss.

Cho, Grace, Wayne and Lisbon watched as Jane was loaded into a waiting ambulance, then they were approached by an EMT, who wanted to examine them for smoke inhalation. They wanted to follow Jane but had to submit to a cursory examination before they were cleared to leave.

All four of them ran to the nearest SUV and drove away from the burning building to catch up to the ambulance. Grace found towels in a go bag and passed them around, as they all had blackened faces and were dripping wet. Cho's burnt hands were beginning to hurt. Lisbon noticed him grimace and would make sure he got his hands cared for once they arrived at the hospital.

As Wayne drove, Lisbon's phone buzzed in her pocket. It was SAC PD. The news wasn't good. Flipping her phone shut, she leaned back and sighed.

"Virgil blew up his apartment building, killing his landlady. She had called SAC PD complaining that the man they were looking for wasn't a bad man. She said he was using the name Billy Star. He must have planted the bomb at the CBI while we were out for lunch, then he went home and blew up the apartment. We don't know where he is now."

"He's getting desperate. Something spooked him. Why else blow up his hiding place?" Cho replied.

"His landlady must have told him she called the police and he had no other option but to run. He's more dangerous now that he knows we know who he is. We may have to get the FBI involved soon" Lisbon sighed, hurting from being thrown down so hard, and worried about Jane.

Wayne pulled into the parking lot at the hospital and soon they were inside looking for their consultant. Flashing her badge, Lisbon was shown to the triage bay where survivors of both bombings were being treated. Cho submitted to having his hands cleaned and wrapped up in sterile bandages, then rejoined his team. An hour later, a doctor appeared from behind a curtain and approached.

"Anyone here for a Mr. Patrick Jane?"

"Yes, we are. I'm his boss" Lisbon said.

"Next of kin?" the doctor asked.

"No, there is no next of kin, but I have authority to make medical decisions for Mr. Jane."

"Alright then. Well your Mr. Jane is a lucky man to have survived such a large blast. He has a concussion and a large laceration which we stitched up. There appears to be some ear trauma. Once he wakes up we can do a hearing test to make sure everything is alright, but for sure one eardrum has been ruptured. That will heal all by itself, but he will need to be kept quiet and calm for several weeks for that membrane to heal. A broken eardrum can cause vertigo, so he won't be feeling well for a while. Like I said, it could have been much worse."

"May I go and see him?" Lisbon asked.

"Yes, of course. It will do him good to see a familiar face when he wakes up."

The doctor showed Lisbon the way and led her to Jane's cubicle. Parting the curtains, Lisbon stepped inside the small space and gazed at her partner and friend. He was deeply asleep, still quite sooty from the smoke. His face had been washed and a large bandage was wrapped around his head. A smaller white gauze pad was taped across his ear and a cotton ball was in his other ear. Smaller burns and abrasions had been cleaned and bandaged. He looked rough.

Lisbon grasped his hand and gave it a squeeze, hoping to gently rouse him. He didn't respond, so she leaned down and spoke to him, hoping to pull him through his fog to wakefulness. That didn't do anything either. A cough outside the curtain alerted her to the presence of her team.

"Come in" she called, and a moment later Wayne, Cho and Grace stepped inside the narrow space.

"How is he Boss?" Grace asked.

"Still out. I can't wake him up. It's going to take some time I guess. How are your hands Cho?"

Cho lifted his white wrapped hands up and smirked. "I won't be playing the piano any time soon."

"I didn't know you played the piano" Wayne said innocently.

"I don't" Cho deadpanned.

Wayne blushed. He always fell for Cho's traps.

"Well thank you for helping Jane. Without you he might not have made it out of that mess. I want you to take some time off and heal Cho. We'll find Virgil soon."

"If you don't mind, I'll keep working. Just don't ask me to type any reports for a while" Cho smiled.

"Ok, deal. Thanks Cho" Lisbon said gratefully.

As they chatted, Jane started to move in the bed, his legs restless and flexing under the covers. Mumbling in his sleep, he suddenly called out for Lisbon to run, get out!

"Jane? It's OK, we're all safe" she replied, grabbing his hand. He instinctively squeezed her hand in return and slowly opened his eyes. Looking up he saw the dirty faces of his friends and co-workers, concern and relief flooding their faces.

"Welcome back" Cho smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Lisbon asked, patting his arm.

Jane was surprised to find his friends were talking, but he couldn't near a sound above the loud ringing in his right ear. Whatever they were saying he couldn't make out. Seeing confusion in his eyes, Lisbon turned his head so that he faced her directly. She spoke slowly.

"You are safe. You are in the hospital and you are going to be fine" she said carefully.

Jane watched her face and read her lips, finally understanding her. He reached up and touched his ear, feeling the gauze padding with concern. Reaching over he touched his other ear and found the wad of cotton sticking out of his ear.

A look of panic glanced over his face as he realized he really couldn't hear their voices. He was completely deaf.

Deaf!

"Jane? What is it? Are you alright?" Lisbon said, seeing the concern in his eyes.

"I can't hear you!" he said too loudly. "I'm deaf!" he shouted.

"It's going to be OK Jane" Lisbon mouthed slowly. "Give it time."

Jane tried to calm himself down but the ringing in his one ear and total silence in the other was unsettling and causing a wave of nausea to rise in his gut. As a cold sweat broke out on his forehead he motioned for a basin in case his lunch came rushing back up.

"Please...leave" he gulped, embarrassed to be seen so vulnerable by all of his friends. "Going to be sick" he barked loudly.

Cho nudged Wayne and Grace to leave and let Lisbon decide what she would do. She stayed and did what she did best, she comforted the man she cared so deeply about, holding him as he threw up repeatedly until he fell back against his pillow in shame.

A nurse came in and witnessed what was going on and helped clean Jane up, then went to find a doctor to give the sick man something for his nausea.

"Sorry" Jane said, embarrassed. The cold sweats subsided and now he was just exhausted. Lisbon looked directly at him so that he would be able to read her lips.

"Don't be. Just get well. Your eardrum is ruptured, will take weeks to heal."

Ruptured? That explained his inability to hear out of his left ear. The ringing in his other ear was temporary, he hoped. "Virgil?"

Lisbon shook her head in frustration. "He's gone Jane. Blew up his apartment, killed his landlady. Bombed the CBI office to stop our investigation. But why us? Why not the SAC PD or the Mayor's office?"

Jane's head was swimming trying to keep up with her words. It was too much, too soon. He closed his eyes to make the room stay still, unsuccessfully.

"Give me time. Why us…" Jane mumbled almost inaudibly.

The nurse came back with a syringe filled with medication to stop Jane's nausea and Lisbon waited outside until the nurse left. When she returned, Jane lying was perfectly still, eyes closed, afraid any movement would be sure to set off more vomiting until the meds kicked in. Lisbon pulled up a chair and grasped his hand to let Jane know he wasn't alone. Anything else that needed to be said could wait until he felt better. Her phone trilled in her pocket. It was her boss, Hightower. She and Gale Bertram were both in Las Vegas at a police convention.

"Yes Ma'am" Lisbon answered. "Yes, it's true, the bomber hit our office. Yes, significant damage but we all survived, no one died. Yes Ma'am, we all got out, but Jane took the brunt of the explosion. Temporary deafness, concussion, burns and cuts. Serious enough but he'll recover in a few weeks. No, we don't know why Virgil Murdock felt he had to bomb our office instead of another site, but we're going to catch him and put him behind bars. Thank you Ma'am. See you soon."

Lisbon slid her phone into her pocket and looked up to find Jane watching her. Did he follow the conversation? She'd have to be careful what she said around him for the next little while so as not to upset him.

"Would you like a sip of water?" she asked, getting up and reaching for the pitcher of ice cold water.

Jane nodded and realized just how bone dry his throat was from inhaling smoke. He just wanted to get out of there, go someplace that wasn't so...institutional.

"Get me out of here" he whispered, searching Lisbon's face for the answer he wanted.

"Jane, you have to be cleared by the doctor. Then when he says you can leave, you're coming home with me. I don't want you to be alone in that depressing motel room while you get better. That's the deal!" she said directly to him, knowing he wouldn't argue at this point.

"Sounds good" he whispered. A moment later the doctor re-appeared and spoke to Jane and Lisbon.

"If you speak slowly, Mr. Jane can read your lips" Lisbon informed the doctor.

After a quick smile, the doctor addressed Jane alone.

"I want to admit you for the night, keep an eye on that ruptured eardrum and your concussion. If all goes well, you can go home tomorrow morning. But you have to remain calm, rest, keep your ear clean and covered to prevent infection. Understood?"

Jane nodded and sighed with resignation. The only good that staying overnight would do him was the opportunity to think. He had screwed up, he and the whole team. The advantage was all on Virgil's side now. A few minutes later a male nurse arrived to push Jane's bed out of the ER and deliver him to a nursing floor. Lisbon stayed close, and wouldn't leave until Jane was settled and safe for the night, with a guard outside his door in case Virgil tried to kill him again.

An hour later, Jane was tucked up in bed, washed, and finally dozing. It was time for Lisbon to get back to work.


	9. Damage Control

Thank you to all of the people who have recently favourited this story and also, thank you guest reviewer, for your kind words. As for my regular reviewers, you know I love you!

Embers

Chapter 9

Damage Control

(Sacramento City Limits)

It was just past 7pm and the sun was starting to go down. An old green van pulled off to the side of the road and stopped in a cloud of dust. Virgil folded both arms over the steering wheel, put his head down and closed his eyes in fear. He had done a terrible thing today. The news on the car radio was all about how he had killed his sweet landlady in the bombing of his apartment building. It was his fault, he knew it and blamed his haste to destroy evidence of his bomb making upstairs in his apartment. He'd patiently waited for the Universe to tell him what to do, and he was sure She had wanted him to stop the CBI from impeding his work with their investigation. His bomb was sure to have killed several CBI agents, but he wasn't sorry about that. They had aided and abetted the immorality in the city, creating their very own disgusting art show just to ensnare him. Because of that, they had signed their own death certificates. His notes to the Mayor had been useless, as usual and it was abundantly clear that the only way to stop this immorality was to kill the Mayor. Simply blowing up a building to send a message was not working. Only death seemed to garner the attention needed to focus on the problems he saw everywhere. He knew a city-wide Art Festival was a week away, an event too big for him to stop. So, he had to stop the Mayor instead. His grip on reality was slowly ebbing away, as his need to please his fantasy Deity overtook his will. Perhaps now something good was going to come of his vendetta against immorality. The worst had happened, he had murdered a woman who had never done a bad thing in her life.

Virgil had to accept that sometimes people are sacrificed for the common good. Poor Mrs. Altamonte was proof of that. The longer he mulled all of this over in his mind, the more it all made sense, in a skewed way, so that he managed to talk himself out of his remorse. Virgil sat back in relief and resolved to do better, strike harder, make more guilty people pay. The time was now. Mind made up, he drove away looking for shelter for the night, so that he could begin to plan his final clean up campaign against the City of Sacramento.

(CBI)

After leaving Jane safe and asleep in the hospital, Lisbon cleaned herself up at home, quickly changed her soggy clothing, then returned to the CBI building to get some answers. How did the bomber get past security? Measures were in place to stop events like the one that had decimated the CBI today, so what went wrong? The metal detectors in the lobby should have screamed when Virgil passed through with the bomb in the box. She wanted answers, now. Everyone working security in the building had been called back to work and stood anxiously in the parking lot. Lisbon began with the parking lot guard. He remembered letting a man making a delivery from a bakery onto the lot. He knew no one could get upstairs without clearing further scrutiny, so he felt sure he had done his job, was not to blame, and his future with the CBI was safe. Several other security people professed ignorance about the incident as they were elsewhere when Virgil entered the building, so Lisbon moved on to the man in charge of security in the main lobby. The officer saw her approach and was understandably nervous, knowing what was coming. Lisbon was tiny but tenacious, and when she was done with the guard he was a broken man. After a serious grilling, Lisbon got him to admit he had let himself be swayed and bamboozled with a chocolate croissant, forgetting to make the delivery man go through the metal detector. She hit the roof, berating him and letting him know he should expect his pink slip in the morning. Being fired would be the least of his worries. Someone could have been killed due to his sloppiness and that would be on him.

Next Lisbon proceeded upstairs to see just how bad the damage was to the CBI office. Everything was wet, blackened and thrown around, but structurally, the solid old building was sound. A section of bricks had been dislodged from the wall and lay on Jane's sofa. If he had been napping there, he would have been crushed. Her own personal office no longer existed, save for the twisted shards of the steel supports on two sides of the space. The glass the steel frames once held was blown out and covered every surface and object. Lisbon pushed some of the debris around with the toe of her boot and found a photo frame, containing a picture of her childhood companion, a fluffy little dog.

That photo had gone with her to college and the police academy. The glass was broken, but the photo survived the bombing. It was a small thing, but finding it undamaged made her deeply happy. Virgil had failed to destroy one of her best memories. All of the desks and chairs were either water damaged or scratched up from being tossed by the blast. Paper files were lost to the fire and water damage but could be reprinted from secure hard drives. Computer equipment could be replaced. With diligent work, a construction crew could have the office back to normal in a month, maybe less if everything went to plan. Just knowing that Virgil's bomb failed to destroy the CBI, Lisbon was able to go home and finally relax. For all of the destruction she had seen today, it would only be temporary. She just hoped Jane's deafness would be temporary as well.

(Sacramento General Hospital)

Jane dozed for a few hours thanks to the efficacy of the injection the nurse had given him, but now he was awake and fidgety. He had nothing but time and silence to deal with. Of the two, he wasn't sure which was more frustrating. Virgil's bomb had reached the heart of the CBI to send a message that they had gone too far. But why attack the CBI and not the SAC PD offices, why not a fire station? Why not the Mayor and his beautiful office? What was it about the CBI that had pushed Virgil to seek such immediate retribution? Images of the art gallery bombing played in Jane's mind, as well as the images CCTV cameras had captured of the art show the CBI had staged to lure Virgil out into the open. It took Jane longer than it should have but considering his current poor health, eventually he realized why they had been targeted. The CBI wasn't the only one studying the crime scene videos of the art gallery bombing. Virgil must have done the same. When Jane recalled the videotape, he knew Lisbon, Cho and Rigsby stood out in the crowd of nameless police officers, identified by their CBI vests. Only Jane was dressed differently, and in his suit, surely he had been obvious too. They all arrived together, they all left together, as CBI agents, painting an obvious target on their backs. If Virgil wanted to stop the investigation, he knew exactly where to go.

Did Virgil know no one had been killed in this latest bombing? What had the local news told its viewers about the bombing today? If Virgil thought no one was seriously hurt and the office wasn't destroyed, he might try again! Jane needed to warn Lisbon to tell the press to announce that the bomb damage was much worse than first thought. Virgil had to move on and leave them alone so that they could set a trap for him.

Who would be next? Several obvious targets came to mind. The Arts Council was sure to be high on Virgil's list of sinners. Would he search for the Board members online and have bombs ready to blow up their homes? SAC PD would also thoroughly investigate the bombings, so they were a target too. Even if Virgil randomly picked a patrol car and blew it up, a message would be sent to the City. The Mayor and his City Council were large targets too, but Virgil would have serious problems getting upstairs to the private chambers of the Mayor in City Hall, to have a face to face encounter with His Worship.

Many miles away, Virgil was hunkered down in the back of his van, afraid to seek lodgings for the night. His face was plastered over every newspaper and TV set across California, so his only home would be his van until he accomplished his goal and then disappeared for good. Supper was a bag of chips and some stale cookies. He'd kill for a beer just about now. He dozed on and off for a few hours, but now he was wide awake, his need for revenge rising up like a phoenix out of the ashes of the CBI building. His bomb had done significant damage, that's what the local news had reported. As far as Virgil was concerned, they were out of the picture now and he could focus on his next target. Just who that would be and how he would place a bomb without being caught, well that was going to take some planning.

(Hospital - Next Morning)

The long night was finally over. Every few hours all night long, nurses came in, woke Jane, checked his eyes and did a brief medical exam. It was necessary due to his concussion, but the downside was that he couldn't stay asleep long enough to get the rest he needed to get well. It was a ludicrous situation. Stay in bed, get some rest, wake up!

Having given up trying to sleep, Jane finally just got out of bed long before dawn and was sitting in a chair napping when the doctor came in. A gentle shake brought Jane back to reality. All of the usual neurological tests were done, more thoroughly this time, and finally the doctor examined Jane's damaged ears. After a few mmm's and ahhh's, the doctor wrote something in Jane's file then turned to face his patient.

"How are you feeling this morning? Be truthful please" the doctor mouthed to Jane carefully.

To be truthful, the nausea had passed somewhat, but it had been replaced with a pounding headache. Jane had had a restless night and the constant ringing in his ear didn't help his mood. The other ear, for now, was useless. Both outcomes were damned annoying.

"I'm tired, and my head hurts. Ear is ringing, and my balance is off. Can't hear anything" he said in clipped sentences.

"Let me see you walk a straight line if you can" the doctor asked.

Jane stood up and took a few steps, but before he got very far he began to list to one side, as if he was walking on the deck of a rocking ship. The doctor took his elbow and guided him back to his bed, where Jane thankfully sat down.

"I know you're off balance, perhaps dizzy at times. That will pass as the membrane grows back over your ruptured eardrum" the doctor explained simply. "It will take time, and we can't speed that process up. Headache medication will help. I will release you on the condition that you stay with someone and do not exert yourself. Take precautions to let your ear heal, or you will remain deaf. And rest! Agreed?"

"Yes."

"OK then. I will fill out the paperwork and as soon as someone comes for you, you may go home. Take things slowly and you should be fine Mr. Jane!"

Patrick nodded his thanks and sighed with frustration. Weeks of waiting to get his hearing back would test his patience. He had to make sure he didn't make an ass out of himself around his friends at work, and while lip reading was a good parlour trick, doing it full time from now on was going to be exhausting. The sooner Virgil was behind bars and Jane could relax, the better.

Soon Lisbon arrived with a change of clothing and waited until Jane got himself dressed. The ride to her apartment was quiet out of necessity. She couldn't face Jane to talk and drive at the same time, and he looked grey with fatigue. A bath, a hot cup of tea and a rest in cheerful surroundings might lift his mood. It took some coaxing as he was grumpy, but she did manage to get him to soak in a hot bath, then rewarded him with tea and warm scones with jam once he reappeared in the living room in his pajamas and a bathrobe.

He slumped down into a chair and turned to his friend to speak his mind. Voice modulation was a problem, and his words varied between being shouted or whispered, with very little in between.

"Virgil was watching us, knew who we were and where to find us."

"How?"

"Our jackets gave us away at the art gallery bombing, and he must have remembered our faces at our own little art show. We practically invited him over with a bomb to stop us in our tracks" Jane groused.

"We don't know that for sure Jane" Lisbon began but Jane just waved her objection away with an impatient hand.

"Under no circumstances can the news be reported on TV or the radio that there were no injuries related to Virgil's bomb. I want him to think he succeeded, that we are demoralized, disorganized and unable to return to work. I want him to believe the building sustained serious damage and won't be up and running again for a long time."

Lisbon was confused. Why was this even remotely important?

Seeing her mixed reaction, Jane tried to explain.

"Virgil is getting messages from above - a Universal voice. Look in my jacket pocket and you'll find a note he left in the box of pastries."

Lisbon got up and retrieved Jane's smoky, burnt jacket and found the note.

'The time to act was never yours to choose. Only when the Mother Universe calls do we truly know that our time has come. And your time has come. You had your chance.'

"Jane? What does it mean? "YOUR TIME HAS COME"?

"It means, we interfered with the celestial plan that the Universe has for Virgil. He's on a mission. If he believes we're out of the picture he will move on to his next target. We just have to stop him before he detonates another bomb."

Lisbon nodded her head, yes, it made sense now. Virgil had to move on, believe the CBI was no longer a threat to his freedom to move and act upon his impulses. It was a given that Virgil would plant another bomb. But who was next on his list? Lisbon sat still and waited to see if Jane wanted to talk more. It had to maddening for him to lip read everything out of necessity, not for fun or as a stunt in a circus tent. He needed time to get used to his deafness, time to recover from his head injury, and time to reflect on what Virgil would do next, so Lisbon sat quietly drinking her coffee, waiting to see if Jane would attempt to speak again. He looked down into his tea, thinking about Virgil and what his next step would be. Gradually Jane's eyes began to close, his head getting heavier and heavier, and just before his tea spilled out of his cup and onto his lap, Lisbon leaned over and took it away. When Jane began to snore lightly, she reclined the chair and let his head lean back comfortably. No doubt he had slept badly in the hospital. No wonder he was tired.

Suddenly Lisbon's phone trilled in her pocket and she jumped to get the call before it woke Jane up. Stupid...he was deaf, she reminded herself.

"Cho? What's up?"

"The structural engineers are here assessing the damage to the building. Once they give us the all clear we can bring in a company to empty out the bullpen and toss the damaged furniture. Van Pelt is gathering all of the laptops and computer equipment to see what works and what needs to be replaced. Just getting the room cleared is a big help. I think the damage will be less than we first expected Boss."

"That's good news. I've hired a remediation crew to come in and do a deep clean once all of our files are moved down the hallway to another room temporarily."

"How's Jane?"

"He's out of the hospital, staying in my spare bedroom until he's feeling stronger. He's napping right now."

"How's he taking his hearing loss?"

"He's frustrated, says his right ear is ringing and the left ear is dead. His balance is shot too, so he won't be moving around much for a while."

"Good luck with that. Let me know if you need a break when he gets cranky."

"I'll remember that offer, thanks Cho."

"Talk to you later Boss."

Lisbon put her phone down and got a throw to cover Jane. He looked remarkably fragile reclining in her big chair. His sheen of bravado enhanced his presence in any room he occupied, but when that was stripped away, he was so much more delicate. Truth be told, he was beautiful in repose. Shaking such silly thoughts out of her head, Lisbon got busy putting some dirty dishes in the dishwasher and went upstairs for a quick shower. When she came down forty minutes later, Jane was awake and cautiously navigating around the apartment holding onto furniture for balance. He was already going stir-crazy.

Across town, Virgil roused himself from an uncomfortable night spent in his cold cramped van. He had lost everything in the last 24 hours. His carefully constructed life had crumbled when old Mrs. Altamonte stuck her nose into his business and called the police to discuss her tenant and his true identity. Daunting as his new circumstances were, Virgil knew he couldn't back down now. The Art Festival was coming to Sacramento very soon, and the Mayor refused to heed his messages to shut it down. Any damage or loss of life would be Mayor Torrelli's fault, not Virgil's. As soon as the Universe revealed her plan, he would act. Now he just needed to get going, get driving, get some real food and wait for inspiration to arrive. All of that without being spotted by the cops.


	10. Peace and Quiet?

Hear that? That's the clock ticking down to a terrible situation.

Embers

Chapter 10

Peace and Quiet?

(Lisbon's Apartment)

Jane paced back and forth, occasionally glancing out the living room window, then resumed his pacing. He already felt the walls closing in on him. It wasn't that he didn't like being here at Teresa's place, on the contrary, he was delighted. Being alone in his dismal motel room would have been antithetical to the healing process, but not being able to hear, to respond spontaneously to what was going on all around him, it was exhausting. He felt worse than he let on, assuming he was actually fooling anyone. Under Lisbon's watchful eye, there would be no fooling her. Strangely, he was OK with that. If anyone was going to see him at his most vulnerable, he would always choose Lisbon.

Teresa stepped off the last step on the staircase and walked across the room, placing her hand gently on Jane's arm. He stopped his pacing and smiled at her.

"If you keep that up for the next two weeks you'll owe me a new carpet Jane!" she teased.

"I'm leaving a path so you can always find me my dear" he deflected, following her to the sofa.

"This place isn't big enough to get lost in, but nice try" Lisbon countered, reaching for the remote.

"Movie time" she ordered, then flicked on her favourite movie channel. Jane needed to be distracted from his thoughts, so maybe this would work.

"Come on, kill some time watching a film with subtitles. In an hour I'll make us some lunch" she smiled, hoping to help her frustrated consultant pass his first full day of hearing loss. "I'll let you pick the film, how's that?"

"Oh goodie, more lip reading" he groaned, but agreed with her suggestion and flicked on the screen, perusing new movies. "How about a foreign film? There's a great Swedish film I've been wanting to see" Jane said, trying to find it.

"Swedish? But then I'll have to read subtitles!" Lisbon complained, until she saw the irony of her complaint and felt foolish.

"Well if I have to, so do you" Jane smirked, before sinking down into the cushions to focus on the movie. Lisbon flopped back and resigned herself to watching something totally incomprehensible, but was soon lured in by the plot and fresh take on movie making. Maybe she should watch more foreign films she decided.

After 45 minutes, he paused the movie and turned to Lisbon to raise an issue that had been on his mind all morning.

"I want to help find Virgil. Don't cut me out of the investigation just because of my lack of hearing" he shouted a bit too loudly.

Lisbon sat beside him, face to face. She'd been expecting this.

"I won't cut you out, we still need your input. But right now, we have nothing to go on. Virgil has disappeared. Until we know what his next move is, or someone spots him somewhere, we have nothing to work with."

"Interview the delivery kid from the bakery" Jane suggested. "Maybe he saw Virgil's car."

"On it. Don't worry about that Jane. When we get anything new to pursue, I'll let you know. Now, watch your movie. I'll make some fresh tea" she said with finality.

Jane sighed with annoyance at being so useless, but did as he was told and restarted the movie. He allowed himself to relax and direct his attention to something other than finding Virgil. A hot cup of tea helped as well, followed by a thick sandwich piled high with a variety of cold meats and condiments. Lisbon might not be the best cook, but she could make a sandwich like a pro. He decided he could finish the movie later.

By 1:30, Jane was yawning and looking weary. His poor night in the hospital was finally catching up with him and it didn't take too much coaxing to convince him to lie down and try to sleep. Lisbon walked with him to the staircase and helped him up to the small guest bedroom on the second floor. The fact that he didn't object suggested he was too tired to argue. Jane had never seen the guest room before, and was surprised at how tastefully decorated it was. A small bathroom next door would be close enough for him to walk to on his own. Lisbon had thoughtfully stocked it with his toothbrush, toiletries and thick white towels. The closet in his bedroom held a variety of his clothes, mostly suits and shirts, but also his one and only pair of blue jeans. That had been a significant surprise when Lisbon went to his dreary motel room to retrieve some of his things. Who would have expected Jane to actually wear blue jeans? There was still so much to discover about her enigmatic consultant.

"OK, time to have a sleep. I have to go out for an hour or two, so you might as well get some rest while you're alone."

"Yes Mom."

"Will you be OK on your own Jane?"

"Can I invite a girl over to help me with my homework?" he smirked, feeling like an awkward teenager again.

"Hush up you. Get into bed, and I'll be back before you know it" Lisbon chided him, but with a wide grin.

"So bossy...care to join me at least?" Jane razzed her.

"JANE!"

He slipped off his bathrobe and threw it over a chair, then slid between the crisp sheets and immediately felt happy to be lying down. This being blown up was a tiresome proposition. Once he was settled Lisbon busied herself downstairs, then checked on her patient to find him asleep and snoring lightly. It was a good time to slip out and meet up with her team. She'd be back before Jane even missed her.

(Sacramento City Limits)

Virgil drove around warily, afraid of every car that passed in case the other drivers realized who he was. The sooner he got off the road and inside somewhere the better. A half hour later he found a small dingy diner on a back highway and slid into a booth near the side door. Soon he was filling up on a burger and a soft drink, keeping his head down to avoid being recognized by his fellow diners. No one even bothered to look at him. Eventually the waitress turned on a TV over the lunch counter and Virgil watched the news for any information about the bombing of the CBI the previous day. A reporter stood outside the stately old building, commenting on the cleanup efforts and the lack of information about possible fatalities. While the reporter was speaking live on-camera, Virgil noticed a black SUV pull up and park outside the main entrance of the building. The same dark haired woman that Virgil had seen at the bombed out art gallery walked inside. Who was she? She seemed to be in charge somehow, based on how the other agents spoke to her and seemed to take orders from her. As he watched the TV, a new idea began to brew in Virgil's mind. Quickly wrapping up his burger and grabbing his drink, he paid cash for his food then ran outside and drove away in his van. With luck, he'd get over to the damaged CBI building before that agent drove away again.

Mid-afternoon traffic was light and Virgil was across the city in good time. Pulling up across the street from the CBI, he spied the SUV still parked where Lisbon had left it. The news crew had left and the street was quiet. With little else to do, Virgil finished his burger and watched to see who would emerge from the old building. Thirty minutes later, the attractive dark haired woman walked back outside and drove away. Virgil popped his van into drive and followed her, waiting outside when Lisbon stopped at a grocery store to pick up extra supplies now that she had a house guest. She came out with several large brown paper bags and drove onward towards her apartment. Virgil hung back so that he would not be noticed, but he managed to keep Lisbon's SUV in sight until she turned into her apartment complex and parked outside her front door.

Virgil pulled into the parking lot and stopped several cars away, watching Lisbon carry bags into her unit. When she came out one last time and bent over to lift one last bag out of the back of the vehicle, an arm wrapped around her throat while a white cloth soaked in chloroform was clamped over her nose and mouth. Struggling against her assailant, Lisbon tried her best to break free, but she had no defence against the drug, and soon lost consciousness. As she slumped into his arms, Virgil lifted Lisbon up and carried her the few steps to her front door. He let himself in and stopped to listen. It appeared the apartment was empty. He walked into her kitchen and dumped her light body onto a kitchen chair. Heart racing, he rummaged around in her kitchen drawers until he found some packing tape and a dishcloth, which he tore into thick strips. One he used as a gag, then he wound tape around and around her wrists and ankles, tying her to the chair. Once she was secured, he stopped to settle down and look around the small main floor. Eyeing the refrigerator, he opened the door and looked inside for the one thing that would make him very happy right now. Yup, there it was. He reached in and pulled out an ice cold beer with satisfaction. Cops and their beer…


	11. A New Man

I know the cliff hangers are driving some of you crazy...sorry! So here we go again...

Embers

Chapter 11

A New Man

Drinking deeply and happily, Virgil tossed back the bottle of beer and realized he had found his safe house. As long as the CBI agent asleep on the kitchen chair stayed asleep, he was safe. He emptied the bottle and threw it into the sink. Now that the agent had been taken care of, Virgil ran back outside and brought his suitcase into the apartment. Lugging it upstairs, he found Lisbon's bedroom and her attached bathroom. Stripping off his clothes, he stepped into her shower and lathered up with all of her shower soaps and shampoo. Who knew when he'd get a chance to do this again? When he finally stepped out of the shower, he looked around her tidy ensuite until he found a razor and some shaving foam. He shaved his face, but didn't stop there. Next he clipped as much hair off his head as he could, then he finished the job by shaving his scalp until he was bald. Blond hair filled Lisbon's sink. As he shaved, a new plan was forming in his mind. By the time he was done removing his hair, he knew what to do. The Universe finally revealed Her plan to him!

While Virgil was busy in Lisbon's bathroom, Jane had awakened and slowly looked around the room, realizing where he was and why he lay in a small guest bed in Lisbon's apartment. He felt somewhat better, and was curious to see if Lisbon had come back yet. He slipped out of bed and went next door to his own small powder room. After he relieved himself and splashed warm water on his face, he studied his reflection in the mirror. The huge white dressing wound around his head was superfluous, so he took it off, leaving the thick white plaster bandage covering the row of stitches in his forehead. The cotton ball had fallen out of his right ear and probably wasn't all that necessary now, but the large gauze pad was still firmly taped over Jane's left ear and he wisely decided that it was best to just leave it there. The last thing he wanted was an infection in his damaged ear. Above all else, he wanted his hearing back.

He wandered back to his room, oblivious to the sounds Virgil was making down the hallway in the other bathroom. While Jane felt much better after having a good nap, the ringing in his right ear was still there, annoying and headache inducing. With time he hoped he would gradually learn how to compensate for his poor balance. He decided that it was time he got dressed. Being in pajamas and a housecoat just made him feel old, feeble. Dressing in one of his suits was like putting on armour, buttressing him against the world. Sliding on a pale blue shirt, then his pants and vest, and finally his suit jacket, he felt more able to face his day. Now that he looked acceptable, Jane made his way carefully downstairs, keen to see what Lisbon was doing. He saw her purse by the front door, and a few bags of groceries standing nearby. Why would she leave them there and not carry them all the way inside to the kitchen?

He walked slowly over to the large living room window and saw her company SUV outside, and one lone grocery bag on the ground beside the SUV. Why? A frisson of fear ran up his spine. Something wasn't right...surely she would have been waiting for him to wake up. Turning around, he headed for the kitchen, holding onto furniture to secure his balance, and as soon as he stepped through the doorway he was horrified to find her bound, gagged and tied to a kitchen chair, her head down, unmoving.

"Lisbon! Lisbon wake up!" he shouted, unaware that he was not alone.

Jane moved as quickly into the kitchen as his health allowed, dropping to his knees to lift Teresa's head and check to see if she was still breathing. Feeling for a pulse on her neck, he sighed in relief when he felt it strong and pulsating beneath his fingers. He needed to rouse her and call the police, then get her out of there! As his hand lifted to her face to remove the cloth gag, a muscular arm clamped around his neck and twisted his head back while the other arm lifted him up onto his feet. Once he was standing, he felt the muzzle of a handgun drill into his spine as he was slowly turned around and marched into the living room by his unknown assailant. If his captor was speaking to him, giving him instructions, Jane couldn't tell. As his panic rose so did the ringing in his ear, creating both physical and emotional torture.

Virgil had been on his way downstairs when he heard a man shouting for Agent Lisbon to wake up. He wasn't alone in the house after all! Moving cautiously, he crept into the kitchen and yelled at the man to stand and put his hands up. When the stranger refused, he had dragged him to his feet. It was that damned CBI agent! Virgil walked Jane at the point of his gun into the living room and forced him to sit down on the sofa. When Jane lifted his eyes, he was shocked at what he saw. Standing in front of him was a soldier, a Captain according to the stripes on his uniform. The name tag said 'Captain William Murdock'. Uniform or not...it was Virgil.

Virgil had dressed himself in his dead brother's uniform and it was a perfect fit. Grinning like the lunatic he was, he held a gun casually on Jane and felt all powerful. Billy wasn't dead...not really...he had just come back to inhabit Virgil's body, that's all. That's what the Universe had been trying to tell Virgil all these weeks! Virgil's excitement was visible, his mission clear. Why else did all of this just fall into his lap so easily? This had to be the ultimate plan after all.

"Captain Murdock?" Jane said cautiously, afraid saying such a wild thing could get him shot in a second.

Virgil's face lit up and he broke out into a wide grin. Yes! Yes it was Billy Murdock! Even this guy knew it!

"Yessir! I'm Billy Murdock. You're that CBI guy. Got a name?" he demanded, waving his gun around like it was a toy.

"Patrick Jane."

"You're a cop. I saw you working for the CBI. Did I do that to you?" Virgil asked, pointing his gun at Jane's injuries. Jane was watching his lips move, desperate to catch every word.

"Your bomb was very effective, but I got lucky and got away with a few cuts and burns. And this…" Jane said, pointing to his ear. "I'm deaf, thanks to you."

"Like hell you are. Don't give me some bullshit story to make me feel sorry for you!" Virgil spat out.

"I am deaf, but I can read your lips. If you turn around, I won't have any idea what you're saying. And no, I'm not a cop. No academy would ever want me in their ranks."

Virgil hadn't expected this answer. If his hostage was deaf due to his bomb, then he felt proud of his handiwork. As to his lies, he'd seen this guy with the agents from the CBI on more than one occasion.

"Liar! I saw you with them...with her!" Virgil shouted, pointing his gun towards Lisbon. For a split second, Jane considered leaping up and knocking the gun out of Virgil's hand when he turned to point at Teresa, but with his lousy balance, Jane knew he'd be on the losing end of that fight.

"Well yes, I consult with them, but I can assure you that I am not nor would I ever want to be a police officer." Jane stared at the man in front of him and wondered about the need to wear a uniform. Did Virgil really think he was Billy Murdock now? He had to keep him talking.

"So, what's the plan Billy?"

Virgil eyed his captive and sat down in the big easy chair, his gun resting on his knee.

"You assholes thought you were smarter than me, thought you could fool me with your disgusting art exhibit, but I'm not that stupid" he vented. "I figured it out...didn't take all that long either" Virgil smirked.

"Very clever of you...Virgil. Is it Virgil...or is it still William?" he dared to push the man.

Virgil shot to his feet and without thinking punched Jane in the ribs, sending him reeling backwards into the sofa cushions, gasping for air.

"You shut up! I'm too smart for you, too smart for the cops! I'm Captain Billy Murdock, got that?" he screamed. He enjoyed watching his hostage gasp and wheeze for air. Served the smartass right.

Jane groaned in distress, breathless from the unexpected punch. Blinking against the pain, he struggled to pull himself upright and hugged his midsection, sucking in air and trying to deal with the screaming in his chest. He had missed what Virgil said, his focus taken off his captor's face, dealing with the blow instead.

"Answer me!" Virgil shouted, leaning forward to grab Jane's jaw and wrench his face up into his own to demand a response.

"Look at me asshole!"

Seeing bewilderment on his victim's face, he relented and stepped back again.

"You know who I am, and what I am. I'm the smart one in the room. Keep that in mind my friend!" Virgil warned Jane.

Jane had to be careful, choose his words wisely, placate this man and his oversized, psychotic ego. "Yes you are smart, you've proven that" he huffed out with effort, a few words at a time. "Congratulations. I'm just confused, that's all."

Virgil was getting more unstable with anger, pacing back and forth in front of the sofa, blocking a possible escape route by his hostage. Who was this idiot to guess at his identity? Couldn't he see the uniform, the insignia? Virgil was gone now, only Billy remained.

Jane knew he'd pushed the deranged man too far, a lesson learned the hard way. Every time he moved, his ribs rebelled. Were some broken? He lifted his hands, palms up, a universal sign of surrender, appeasement.

"I….I got your note in the box" Jane wheezed, hoping to change the direction of the conversation now that he knew Virgil was insane. What he was going to say next might save his life, or end it very quickly. It was a gamble he had to take to save Lisbon and himself.

"I understand your desire to do the bidding of our Universal Mother."

The gun faltered in Virgil's hand as Jane's words hit him like a ton of bricks. He stopped his pacing. How could this man, or anyone else for that matter, know about his celestial Guide? Shock replaced anger and Virgil grabbed Jane's jacket and shook him harshly, almost lifting him right off the sofa. Jane cried out as his ribs moved. The pain was excruciating.

"Shut up! You don't get to talk about Her!" Murdock screamed.

Jane got bolder, hoping enough time had passed for Lisbon to begin to wake up and see what was going on.

"Why not? Surely you don't believe She only speaks to you?"

Virgil certainly did believe the Universal Mother only sent Her messages to him, as a Heavenly Advisor. Who was this man to suggest other people also communicated with the Universal Mind? Jane saw that his words had stopped Virgil in his tracks and he didn't know what to do with this information. Jane proceeded with caution, his hands cradling his aching side.

"Many people throughout time have had meaningful relationships with the Universal Mother. I've done a lot of reading on the subject myself. I have to say though, you're the only person I've been lucky enough to meet who was selected to have that connection. Very few people are so blessed" he said as kindly as he could. He hoped he wasn't shouting.

Virgil turned away and was talking. Was he talking to himself or to Jane? Without seeing his face Jane had no idea what was going on now. Did he go too far? Was Virgil going to shoot him and Lisbon and go on his way, fulfilling whatever destiny the Universe had revealed to him in the last 24 hours?

In the kitchen Lisbon could hear voices, but her head was fuzzy, throbbing. Trying to lick her dry lips she found a thick wad of cotton in her mouth and felt a wave of panic rush up her spine. The voices were getting louder, so she lifted her heavy head slightly and cracked an eye open. Through the doorway she could see Jane sitting stiffly on the sofa, pain etched into his face as a man in a military uniform paced back and forth in front of him, waving a gun. Instinctively Lisbon tried to pull her hands forward, but they were securely taped behind her back to the supports on the chair. Her legs were tied down too, so she would be of no help to Jane. As Jane took a quick peek at her, she nodded her head to let him know she was awake, listening and trying to figure out how to escape from this madman. She had to pretend to still be deeply drugged and put her head down again. Virgil took a step towards the kitchen doorway but only saw that the tiny woman was still asleep, her chin down on her chest. She wasn't going to be a problem for a long long time he concluded.

"Billy, turn around and face me so I can read your lips. So like I said, what's the plan? Can I help with it?" Jane suggested brashly, luring Virgil's attention back onto him.

"Nothing has changed. Not one single person has stopped the immorality going on in this city. You have no idea" Virgil said, but Jane cut him off.

"Oh yes I do...and it stinks! I get it. I've seen the Mayor's files, I've read what he and the City Council doesn't want the citizens of Sacramento to know. It's a travesty and he's going to have to pay for it come election time, when I will shout from the rooftops how he syphons money away from the kids who need it the most. Rich people don't need the best basketball courts or playgrounds. Everyone should have the same opportunities to play safely" Jane said with conviction, because he actually believed it to be true.

Virgil eyed Jane with surprise. How the hell did this guy know that this is what Virgil was trying to accomplish? And what files was he talking about? There were files that would incriminate the Mayor?

"I can help you" Jane said simply, hoping to get on Virgil's good side. "Let me help you Billy" he said carefully.

Virgil stood with his legs splayed, staring at the earnest man talking to him from the sofa. Geez how did he know all this stuff? Was this also a sign from the Universe? He had to know.

"Are you…. _the one_?"


	12. A Revelation

Embers

Chapter 12

A Revelation

Jane stared into Virgil's fevered eyes and knew this was the breaking point. If he answered the lunatic's question incorrectly, he'd be dead before he ever knew what the right answer should have been.

"Well, are you?"

"Have you been waiting for me?" Jane answered carefully. Virgil seemed to soften at his reply.

"I was hoping She'd send someone to me, someone who understood the Universal Mind, someone who knew what to do to please Her" Virgil said sadly. "I can't do it all by myself anymore, there's just too much corruption."

Jane relaxed fractionally. This just might go his way, if he kept saying the right things to his captor.

"I understand how you feel, because I'm outraged too. The Universal Mind speaks to so few people, I just never thought I'd meet someone else who knew Her. Let me help you. I think She meant for us to meet" Jane finished, hoping he'd done enough to ensnare Virgil.

"How could you possibly help me stop the crimes the Mayor is committing?" Virgil asked, taking the bait.

Lisbon was listening to every word. God, Jane was going to offer himself up as a sacrifice to get Virgil out of the apartment! But then how would they stop him?

"The Mayor and his staff know me, I've been there before and I promised to return his file folder to him with the evidence he doesn't want anyone to see. When the time is right, I can take you there and he won't be able to ignore us anymore" Jane suggested, hoping to gain some time.

"He doesn't know me, he'll never let me in" Virgil said with suspicion.

"The Mayor wouldn't refuse a visit from a member of our armed services. That uniform will open any door for you Billy. I guarantee it."

Virgil nodded his head as the wisdom of Jane's words sank in. The uniform was his talisman, he'd seen how people responded to Billy when he wore it out in public. Now it would get him inside the private chambers of the Mayor of Sacramento, where he'd detonate a bomb and bring Mayor Torrelli's whole shameful term in office to a halt.

"Sit down, relax, eat something Billy. You aren't alone anymore. We can make a plan and meet the Mayor tomorrow" Jane said, hoping to delay the inevitable. Tomorrow he'd be stronger.

"No! I can't let it go on any longer, not with all that filth and immorality displayed as art all over the city! Even more is going to be going up everywhere next week. It has to stop today!" Virgil barked back, angry all over again. "You'll take me over there, get me in to meet Mayor Torrelli, and I'll show him where he's going wrong, talk some sense into him" he shouted. "If not, he'll meet one of my friends here" he said, pulling a bomb out of a satchel on his belt.

The hairs stood up on Jane's arms as he gazed at the compact death device. If it dropped, rolled out of Virgil's hand, got set off accidentally...deafness would no longer matter.

Virgil turned and stared at Lisbon. A damned cop. She was a loose end he should take care of. He began to walk towards the small kitchen, his gun loose in his hand. Jane suddenly realized what the man was about to do and struggled to his feet. When Virgil got to the kitchen doorway, he raised his gun to put a bullet into Lisbon and eliminate the chance she would come after him. Jane was screaming the whole time.

"No no no! Don't do it Billy!" Jane shouted, standing up and lunging awkwardly to put himself in front of the gun to block the shot, terrified Teresa would die in front of him. He crashed into the door frame and shielded Teresa's slumped body.

"Billy, no!"

"Has to be done. She's a cop. Can't take the chance she'll come after us" Virgil said as if his will had been taken over by another.

"No she won't Billy! Look at her. You must have drugged her too much, she's so small and weak. She didn't hear anything, so why kill her? By the time she wakes up and eventually gets free, you'll be long gone. Does the Universe demand the death of this woman?" Jane shouted in a panic. If need be he'd fight Virgil for control of the gun, but he knew Virgil would win and probably shoot both of them. Words would have to replace bullets.

Virgil hesitated, looking at Jane and then Lisbon. She was tiny, out cold, no threat to his current plan. Would the Universal Mother be angered if he pulled the trigger without good cause? Then he remembered poor Mrs. Altamonte. She had only been kind to him and now she was dead, because of him. Surely the Universal Mother would be angered by another woman's death.

"She's asleep, and time's ticking by Billy" Jane said in a rush, swaying on his feet. He had to change tactics on the fly. "We can go now, like you said. If we don't, Mayor Torrelli will be gone for the day and you'll miss your chance to carry out your plan" Jane continued, desperate to save Lisbon.

Virgil had lost track of time. It _was_ getting late in the afternoon. Perhaps this guy was right after all and killing this agent wasn't worth the trouble. But the consultant, he was useful, he would soon enough show his worth. Even if all he did was allow Billy to get inside the office of the Mayor, if he proved to be a liar, he'd die in the blast in City Hall along with Torrelli. Mind made up, Virgil pointed his gun at Jane and indicated he should start moving towards the door.

"Ok, we're going to pay Mayor Torrelli a visit. Where's the file?" Virgil asked.

A wave of relief rolled over Jane. Lisbon would live. He hadn't considered that Virgil would demand to see the file that had been taken from Torrelli's office. Now what?

"It's under lock and key and I can't get to it, but the Mayor doesn't know that" Jane said, thinking quickly. He pointed to a large white photo album of Lisbon's sitting on the coffee table.

"That will be a good substitute. He'll never know the difference and by then we'll be in his office. Sound good Billy?" Jane said, as he made his way back towards the living room and carefully reached for the album. In the kitchen, Lisbon had heard everything Virgil and Jane discussed and she wanted to scream. Her consultant was walking into a death trap to save her and she couldn't do a damned thing about it. She knew that once Jane left with Virgil, she'd be stuck here unable to help. By the time someone found her, Jane and the Mayor would be dead.

Virgil waved his gun at Jane, indicating he should head for the front door. Nodding, Jane was grateful Virgil's attention had strayed from Lisbon and back onto himself instead. He walked carefully across the small living room while Virgil stayed close behind him, then the two of them left the apartment. Lisbon immediately started to rock back and forth in her chair hoping to either loosen her bonds or to knock the chair over so that she could get to something sharp to cut through the tape on her wrists. Virgil kept his gun buried deep in Jane's back as he walked with his other hand on Jane's shoulder, pushing him towards his green van. To anyone looking out of a window, it looked like two buddies walking casually to their vehicle.

Lisbon heard the van start up and frantically rocked her chair, then stopped and looked around. There on the counter she spied the knife she had used to make Jane's sandwich earlier. She slowly hopped the chair over to the counter, taking far too long, and tried to reach the knife somehow, but it was out of reach. She couldn't stand up, couldn't pull the knife over with her chin. It was right there, inches away and she couldn't get to it. All that time had been wasted on a futile effort. Huffing with frustration she had to figure out what to do. Then her cell phone rang.

And rang.

And rang until it went to voicemail. It was Cho.

"Hey Boss, just wondering how Jane is and if you're coming in again before we quit for the day. The cleanup crew is coming in tomorrow morning so we will get all of our files relocated before they begin. Can you give me a call as soon as you can? Need to discuss a few things. Say 'hi' to Jane from all of us."

Then he was gone. Moaning with exasperation, Lisbon once again thumped and hopped across her kitchen to the far kitchen wall and began banging her chair against the wall as hard as she could. If someone next door was home, maybe they'd come over to complain about the noise. She was grasping at straws.

Jane sat in the passenger seat in the old green van as Virgil kept his gun on his prisoner. The drive over to City Hall was quiet. Virgil was deep in thought and Jane was busy trying to figure out how he and Virgil could get out of this alive, not to mention the staff at City Hall. At least Lisbon was safe. He prayed for a traffic jam.

Lisbon banged her chair against the wall and chewed at the cloth in her mouth, making it wet and slippery. Virgil had tied it very tightly and firmly in place. It seemed to take forever, but when it finally got soggy enough, she tried to pull the cloth out of her mouth by dragging it against her shoulder. It was slow and annoying but gradually she could feel it begin to slip down out of her mouth and over her chin. As soon as she could finally spit it of her mouth she began to scream at the top of her lungs. She screamed "fire" she screamed "help" she screamed "call the police" non-stop until she heard a voice at her front door many minutes later.

"Ma'am? Are you OK?" a tremulous voice called.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Lisbon shouted, hoarse from yelling.

Her stunned neighbour ran through the living room and stopped in shock upon seeing her, then sprang into action, taking the knife at Lisbon's direction and cutting through the layers of tape on her wrists.

"Give me my cell phone!" Lisbon shouted when her hands were free. As the man cut through the bindings on her ankles, Lisbon called Cho and told him what was going on. Then she thanked her amazed neighbour and ran out of the house and disappeared in her CBI SUV. The neighbour just walked to Lisbon's front door and watched Lisbon drive off, then returned to his apartment in disbelief. What the hell just happened?

Cho hung up and shouted to anyone who could hear him. Rigsby, Van Pelt, and several other agents helping to move confidential files to a new location stopped what they were doing and paid attention to Cho.

"We have a hostage situation people! That was Agent Lisbon. She and Patrick Jane were taken at gunpoint by Virgil Murdock. Jane managed to talk Murdock out of the apartment leaving Agent Lisbon tied to a chair. She was able to free herself and called to say Virgil is armed, has a bomb on his belt and is wearing an Army Captain's uniform. He believes he is now his brother, Billy Murdock. Agent Lisbon believes Murdock is going to attack the Mayor at City Hall. We have to assume that Murdock has more bombs at his disposal. Team up and let's get going. Van Pelt, call the SWAT team in and alert SAC PD. Let's go!" he commanded.

"On it Cho!" Van Pelt yelled as everyone sprang into action. Assault rifles and bullet proof vests were distributed and soon a convoy of vehicles was traversing the busy streets of Sacramento to thwart a lunatic on a mission. As they drove, Cho was on the phone calling the Mayor's office to warn them to get out, get out now! Then he methodically began to peel the gauze off his hands, not caring if it would be painful. He needed to be able to handle a gun again.

(City Hall)

The Mayor stretched and looked at the clock. There was just enough time to sign some paperwork and finish his coffee, then he could head home for the night. His wife had convinced him to attend a charity fundraiser on behalf of stray and abandoned animals after supper that night. He really didn't care about the animals, scruffy and flea infested as they were, but it would certainly look good for the cameras if he showed up and made a hefty donation. Everything was politics as far as he was concerned.

His receptionist Miss Hardy was finishing up for the day and was in a hurry to leave. This wasn't the most exciting job she'd ever had but it paid well and she hoped to snag a rich husband by rubbing shoulders with the city's elite bachelors who came by on a regular basis. She had just walked away from her desk when the phone rang. She stopped and balled her hands up into fists. Dammit! She just wanted to get the hell outta there! Hesitating for a moment, she listened to the phone ringing and made a decision.

Screw it!

She ignored the call and walked over to the elevator, pushed the 'down' button and stepped inside. Whoever was calling could just try again tomorrow. The Mayor wouldn't talk to anyone this time of day anyway.

Cho ended the call, frustrated that no one picked up. He ordered an agent to find another number he could call to alert someone in security that a situation was building and they had to get the Mayor out if he was still at work. All of this took precious time, time that was all in Virgil's favour.

(City Hall)

Virgil parked his old green van at the front of the building and got out. Jogging around the vehicle before his hostage decided to make a run for it, he yanked open the passenger side door and pulled Jane out. Slamming him up against the side of the van, he leaned in and spoke slowly and directly to the shaking man.

"Do everything that I say. Get us past security in there. Do whatever it takes or I will kill you, then I'll go back and kill that lovely Agent in her kitchen. Understand me?"

"Yes...yes I understand perfectly."

"Good. Now walk!"

Virgil walked very close to Jane, his gun jammed in his tender ribs, until they reached the Lobby of the stately old building. There was no one left in the building except an older security guard who looked bored to death. Once staff left the building, his nights were long and tedious. When Jane approached, the guard held up his hand to stop the men from proceeding to the elevators.

"City Hall is closed for the day. Sorry gentlemen. You'll have to come back tomorrow."

The gun poked deeper into Jane's side.

"Mayor Torrelli is expecting us. This is his special guest" Jane said, turning to point to Virgil, his military uniform and erect posture exuding strength and honour.

"And you are?" the guard said, eyeing the battered consultant.

Jane pulled his CBI badge out of his pocket. "Patrick Jane, Consultant with the CBI. I arranged this meeting between the Mayor and the Captain. He's waiting for us upstairs" Jane lied, praying the Mayor had left for the day.

The old guard studied the badge and Patrick's bruised and bandaged face, but let it go. These CBI officers got themselves into some scrapes apparently.

"Ok then. Enjoy your visit Captain!" the guard said to Virgil, who smiled and saluted the old guy.

Virgil once again walked closely behind Jane until they were both in the elevator.

"It's showtime!" Virgil grinned, leaning back against the wall but keeping his gun on Jane. An uneasy silence descended, with Jane feverishly thinking, trying to come up with some way to save Torrelli and himself. Time ticked by.

"What exactly do you hope to accomplish when we get up there?" Jane asked, but the lift slowed to a stop and dinged, ending their short ride upwards.

"Wait and see" Virgil said darkly, before nudging Jane forward with the end of his gun.

The elevator doors slid open and the two men emerged. No one stopped them when they entered the long, ornate Mayor's Lobby outside Torrelli's private chambers. The snippy Miss Hardy was gone, and if there was any support staff, they were somewhere else. Virgil glanced around then spotted the ornate oak doors. Pointing with his gun, he indicated that Jane should keep walking. Jane proceeded until he reached the doors, then Virgil turned his prisoner around to speak to him.

"Is this it?"

Jane nodded. There was no way out now. No one would come rushing in to save the Mayor...or Jane. Virgil knocked on the door and waited for a reply. A voice called from the other side of the door.

"Miss Hardy, if you want to go home, that's fine with me. I'll be on my way soon." The Mayor assumed his receptionist was indicating she was leaving. Virgil smiled and knocked again. Then he forced Jane to open the door and enter, whether the Mayor wanted visitors or not.

"Ahhh, excuse me Mr. Mayor...can we speak with you?" Jane said, pushing the door open and stepping in with Virgil close behind.

The Mayor craned his neck to see why his receptionist had let two people into his office unannounced.

"Where's Miss Hardy?" Torrelli asked, standing up to see who was barging in.

"She's gone for the day. Remember me? Patrick Jane, CBI. I'm returning your complaint file." He held up the white album to convince Torrelli.

The Mayor wasn't happy about being delayed, as he'd get an earful from his angry wife when he showed up late, but visitors were also voters, so he had to agree to see the Consultant again. Plus he was delighted to get his file folder back with all of its incriminating information. Since his visitors were already within the inner sanctum, the Mayor stuck out his hand in greeting.

"Ahh Mr. Jane, so nice to see you again. And who is this fine young man?" he said, grasping Virgil's hand in a meaty handshake. He was the consummate politician.

Jane turned to introduce Virgil, but realized he didn't know which name to use. Was he Virgil now, or still Billy? He took the easy way out.

"Mayor Torrelli, this is Captain Murdock. He has some concerns he wants to address with you."

The Mayor's smile slid off his face. He didn't have time for such nonsense this time of the day! They should have made an appointment like everybody else.

"I would like nothing more than to hear your opinions young man, but I'm late to a charity function my wife arranged. So sorry, but if you could just come back another day, I'm sure we can discuss whatever's on your mind Captain."

Virgil pulled his arm out from behind Jane's back and pointed the loaded gun at the Mayor's ample belly.

"Sit down Torrelli. You aren't going anywhere."

The Mayor almost fell over his own feet trying to get to his large chair as quickly as possible, while Jane stood with one hand holding the photo album and the other one up in the air, not sure how to play this out.

Across town, Lisbon was racing to the city centre with the flashing light on her SUV spinning, clearing a path through the heavy suppertime traffic. Her phone crackled to life.

"Lisbon, where are you?" Cho barked.

"On my way to City Hall. They got a good head start and I'm sure they're already there. Did you manage to alert security? Is the Mayor safe?"

"Can't raise anybody. No one knows the Mayor is in danger. We're on our own Boss."

"Cho I hope you have a plan to get Jane and the Mayor out of there alive!"

"Working on it. SWAT is on its way, same with SAC PD. I'll meet you over there."

"See you soon" she sighed and leaned into the steering wheel, willing the traffic to part to let her get there even faster.

(Mayor's Office)

Mayor Torrelli squinted accusingly at Jane, wondering why he had helped this lunatic gain entry to the his office.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this Mr. Jane. Aiding and abetting a criminal will get you a prison term when this is over, I'll make sure of it!" he huffed with indignation. Jane didn't hear a word he said, as his attention was on Virgil and his gun.

"Are you listening to me Agent?" the Mayor shouted at Jane.

Virgil just laughed and sat down in one of the visitor's chairs across from the Mayor.

"He can't hear you Torrelli. Seems the bomb I set off at the CBI building destroyed his hearing. Don't waste your breath on him."

Jane read Virgil's lips and turned to face the Mayor. "It's true - deaf as a post" he said, pointing to his ears. The thick bandage on his left ear made sense now, if it was true. The Mayor was thoroughly confused. Could the man hear or not?

"Lip reading - parlour trick but useful" Jane said simply and loudly.

Outside City Hall the SWAT team had arrived and were parked behind the stately old building, out of sight in case Virgil looked out of the window in the Mayor's office. Cho and the rest of the CBI agents drove up silently, no sirens or lights flashing to warn of their approach. Once Lisbon was half a block from her destination she killed her flashing light too. They needed the element of surprise. Soon a large group of agents, police and SWAT officers were gathered in a parking lot to plan their attack and hopefully a rescue of Jane and Mayor Torrelli.

Upstairs in City Hall, Jane was beginning to feel exhausted. In less than 24 hours, he'd been blown up, deafened, held hostage, punched in the gut, prevented Lisbon's death, and dragged across the city to get blown up again. It wasn't his best day. Virgil was busy ranting his theories about the sinfulness of the city, and how the Mayor was largely to blame for that situation. Torrelli was angry but scared and barely issued a single excuse for the liberalness of Sacramento. Then Virgil began to slip deeper into his psychosis, regaling the Mayor with stories about the Universal Mind and how She guided him, spoke to him and ultimately, demanded he correct all of the wrongs She whispered in his ear.

Torrelli knew bullshit when he heard it, being an expert bullshitter himself, and this was just too much to take seriously.

"Really? That's why you're here? Because some fantasy being up in the sky wants you to shut down art galleries and spend money on playgrounds?" Torrelli sputtered, his fear dissipating into condescension.

"Here we go…" Jane thought, reading the reckless man's lips, knowing the Mayor's outburst just might get them all killed.

Virgil shot out of his chair and rounded on the Mayor, brandishing his weapon, but much to Torrelli's surprise, he pointed it at Jane's head instead of the Mayor's. Jane froze.


	13. The End of Time

There's a big wind storm coming in a few hours and we may lose power. If that happens, I don't know when I would be able to publish the next chapter. So, in that case, I'll put it up a day early. You're welcome.

Embers

Chapter 13

The End of Time

"Does this look like a fantasy you pompous degenerate?" Virgil shouted, furious that the Mayor would insult the celestial being that he felt honoured to serve. "I can kill this agent then blow you and the entire building to Kingdom Come!"

Torrelli cowered behind his desk, finally realizing how unstable the Army Captain was. Jane could only read a few of the words Virgil was saying as his anger made his speech almost incomprehensible. He needed to calm everyone down before Virgil pulled the bomb out of his satchel and they all discovered whether there really was life after death.

Jane stood perfectly still, a hard feat considering his headache, vertigo and the constant, maddening ringing in his right ear. He still clutched Lisbon's photo album in his right hand while his left arm was raised in submission over his head. Torrelli was a moron, beyond stupid for antagonizing an unstable man who carried not only a loaded gun but a satchel filled with bombs. Sweat trickled down Jane's upraised arm and dripped down onto his chest. As he swayed slightly, he knew he had to diffuse the situation immediately, but he wasn't at all sure what Virgil was ranting about.

Whatever psychosis was pushing Virgil to assume his dead brother's persona, it was now clearly in control. Perhaps years of believing in the Universal Mind but not doing anything about it pushed the man too far. Was the first step in his downward spiral being rejected for military service? Or was Billy's death in the war the final straw that broke the camel's back and finally eroded Virgil's tenuous hold on reality? Whatever brought Virgil here, today, armed with bombs and a large handgun, Jane knew he needed to be placated. Turning his head slightly, Jane saw that Torrelli was almost hyperventilating in fear, his beefy hands shaking and high over his head. It was ludicrous spectacle since Torrelli wasn't the one with a gun pointed at his brain. Virgil dug the gun into Jane's temple a bit harder, almost tipping him over in his zeal and Jane knew he had to do something immediately or die.

"Everybody just calm down! Don't get carried away Billy, show the Mayor you're serious!" Jane yelled, a tinge of panic in his voice. "We both know you have a righteous cause, but the Mayor needs to understand it too!"

Torrelli readily agreed, anything to avert a murder. "Yes! Yes, I'm wrong, so very wrong about so many things, but you can help me to make the City better Captain Murdock. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!" the Mayor babbled in terror. Seeing the Mayor speak up, Jane heaved a sigh of relief and hoped it had been enough to save both their lives.

Virgil slowly pulled the gun away from Jane's head and smiled at the stupid man occupying the large leather chair behind the desk. Finally, someone would do the right thing.

"The Art Festival is going to be shut down, first thing tomorrow morning and stay shut down. The playgrounds that you've neglected to repair and keep safe will be improved and stay maintained. I want to read every complaint you receive and decide what you're going to fix next, not you, not your crooked Council, me. Because you can't be trusted to do the job Torrelli!" Virgil said evenly, now fully in control of the situation, and the City.

"But ...but how will you do that? You can't just move in here and hold me and the City hostage!" the Mayor demanded to know. "And I can't just cancel the Art Festival, too many people are involved in it!" the Mayor foolishly complained. Jane stared at him in wonder. That idiot would get them all killed and he still didn't understand it!

Virgil reached into his satchel and pulled out a much larger bomb than the one he had used at the CBI. Grinning at his cleverness, he held it in the palm of his hand and turned to look at Jane, then Torrelli.

"I think this just elected me Mayor of Sacramento."

(City Hall Parking Lot)

Outside the building, the SWAT team and CBI agents, along with the SAC PD, were in a planning huddle, with time ticking by far too quickly. Security in the building had finally been alerted to the hostage situation upstairs, but they were ill prepared to handle a crisis of this magnitude. Instead, they provided a schematic of the City Hall building, which was spread out on the hood of a large SUV. All entrances, exits, elevators and stairwells were highlighted, along with hallways and any possible entrance or egress from the Mayor's suite of offices. Of note there was a large picture window in the Mayor's private office, in the wall facing the street, leading to a balcony that swept the length of the building. Torrelli himself could access the balcony from his office through a large glass door set into the wall next to the window. He often sat out on the balcony on fine summer days with a coffee in hand while a visitor pleaded for his help in some matter.

The police felt it might be possible to get to the Mayor by assembling on the balcony and surprising Virgil in a fast attack. But all Virgil had to do was look up and see a horde of officers in blue outside the window and he would detonate his bomb before they got across the room.

SWAT felt that if necessary, they could rappel down the side of the building and smash through the windows and surprise Virgil with flash bangs and overpower him in the ensuing confusion. That would be a last resort. The hostages could well die in the ensuing chaos. They hoped they could talk Virgil out before he did anything rash.

Across the street, SWAT team marksmen were in an office building, directly opposite the floor housing Torrelli's office. Binoculars were trained on Torrelli's windows, but the low light in the sky bounced off the wall of glass making it a mirror, reflecting only the clouds and the purple streaks in the sky. Until the sun went down and someone turned on some interior lights, they couldn't get a clear shot at Virgil through the window.

Downstairs, teams of cops in riot gear were swarming up the stairwells and taking up positions above and below the floor where Torrelli was trapped by Murdock. Soon, the madman and his two hostages would be completely surrounded.

(Torrelli's Office)

Jane took an involuntary step backwards when Virgil pulled the large bomb out of his satchel. The Mayor was petrified, silenced for once by the sight of a device that would vapourize him in an instant. For himself, Virgil was strangely calm, knowing the ball was most definitely in his court. Strolling across the room, he gazed out of the large windows and felt omnipotent. No one knew he was here, about to change the course of history in Sacramento. Perhaps he'd be thanked one day for his service to the city once the truth came out, the truth that he had cleaned up the filth that this Mayor and his Council had allowed to go on display year after year. Virgil had what he wanted, the power to right all of the wrongs the Universe had shown him. The Mayor was a useless wimp, easily dealt with.

Virgil felt like he'd already accomplished more than he could have hoped for so far today, but then he turned and saw Jane standing near the back wall next to the Mayor's chair, his hand still raised above his head in a show of submission. What did he need Mr. Jane for now? He'd served his purpose and was of no more use to him. He worked for the cops, and no matter what he said about understanding the Universal Mind, he was still the enemy. A military man understood that he had to eliminate the enemy.

Virgil walked back to the middle of the room and stared at both men under his control. He needed Torrelli. He didn't need the cop from the CBI. Jane was studying Virgil's face and his changing micro-expressions and knew something had happened, some new idea had come to the madman. He'd made a decision of some kind. Virgil was very calm, his left hand cradling the black bomb casually at his side. Standing in front of the Mayor's desk, Virgil raised his gun and aimed it at Jane's heart.

"Thank you for helping me fulfil my destiny Mr. Jane. The Universe will reward you for your assistance, have no fear."

Jane focussed on reading Virgil's lips and was horrified at the message he was deciphering. His time had run out.

"No Billy, don't! I can get you out of here, past the police!" Jane shouted, seeing no other way out of his situation but to appear useful for a while longer.

Virgil smirked, drunk with the power the Army uniform seemed to bestow upon him. Patting his satchel full of bombs with his gun hand, Virgil shook his head in disagreement.

" _These_ will open every door. I only needed you to get in here Mr. Jane. Getting out will be no problem. You've served your purpose well, and now it's time for you to go. Sorry."

Before Jane could say another word , Virgil cocked the gun and Jane realized he was about to die. Reflexively he clutched Lisbon's photo album to his chest just as the gun exploded. The blast slammed the album against Jane's chest as the force of the gunshot hurled him backwards into the wall, then down to the floor, where his body lay crumpled like a discarded ragdoll. Mayor Torrelli was screaming in horror at the poor man's murder right in front of him. Virgil felt nothing. No sadness or shame for killing the man in cold blood. Virgil knew he was a good soldier and this is what needed to be done. He stared at the dead man on the floor with cold detachment, then turned and walked over to the wet bar along the side wall and made himself a drink, careful to add just one ice cube to his gin and tonic.


	14. Every Moment Counts

Big news day on the TV but I'm taking a break. Next chapter was ready, so here you go! Thank you to all of my reviewers. You encourage me so much to do better with each story.

Embers

Chapter 14

Every Moment Counts

(SAC PD - Mayor's Lobby)

At the sound of the gunshot, CBI Agents and SAC PD officers assembled outside the Mayor's office hunkered down, ready to ram the door to gain entry and save whoever was still alive. Lisbon's heart was pounding so hard she thought it might leap out of her chest. The SAC PD team captain was speaking into his microphone in hushed tones, informing the waiting SWAT teams that shots had been fired.

Lisbon and her team feared the worst. Cho cast a quick glance her way but betrayed no emotion. Grace and Rigsby were ready to rush through the door, their bodies taut with tension. The waiting was killing Teresa. Who had been shot? Had Virgil killed the Mayor, or Jane, or had someone overpowered Virgil? If so, they would know it a minute or two. The minutes dragged on, but neither Jane nor the Mayor threw open the ornate oak doors to walk to freedom. So it was Virgil who had fired the gun…

And someone else had been shot...

The SWAT team sprang into action, running up the remaining staircases to gain access to the roof, while the police surrounded the building ready to catch Virgil should he manage to get downstairs and try to escape. Lisbon knew the situation could soon go from bad to worse, with more gunfire from the Mayor's office. So far only she and Jane had encountered Virgil, and perhaps they could talk some sense into him. If Jane was still alive.

(Mayor's Office)

Virgil drank down his gin and tonic and smacked his lips. God that was good stuff. Refilling his glass, he then turned and walked back to the centre of the room, surveying his plush kingdom. Jane lay sprawled on the floor, eyes closed and bleeding profusely from the bullet hole in his chest. The hysterical Mayor was weeping like a 3 year old, praying the Rosary and crossing himself repeatedly. The fool.

Virgil took the bomb and rolled it between his two palms, enjoying himself immensely. He'd let it slip and pretend it was going to hit the floor before he hastily grabbed it back into his large hand. If the bomb didn't kill the Mayor, a heart attack surely would. Mayor Torrelli glanced at the blond man now lying at his feet behind his desk, a photo album clasped to his chest with a smoking bullet hole in it. That poor man had only tried to do his job.

Jane lay on his side, his arms still curled loosely around the photo album. A perfect hole was in the front cover, but the back cover had exploded outwardly, ravaged by the exit of the speeding bullet. The impact of the bullet had thrown him down hard, and momentarily, he'd been in shock, in a state of stunned numbness. Now the strong smell of gunpowder in his nostrils helped to rouse him and bring him back to his dangerous reality. He'd been shot...he'd felt the hot metal drill into his flesh. The bullet had pushed through the album's thickly padded front cover, then through the heavy cardboard pages holding a lifetime of photos. The plastic sleeves and tight compression between pages had slowed the trajectory of the bullet but it still created a deadly impact when it exploded from the back page and hit Jane's chest.

Jane's mind was fuzzy from too much information to process. For now he inhabited a tiny universe of pain as his chest felt like it was on fire. As he lay there, he slowly became aware of other sensations...the scratchy wool carpet against his face, the wet coolness of his blood as it soaked through his clothes, the aching in his head and hip from slamming into the floor...physical reminders of his tenuous situation. Opening one eye, he saw the room from a dead man's perspective, with furniture large and looming over him, the beige carpet at eyeball level. Why...why was he lying on a floor? It took a moment, too long for a mind as sharp as his, but then it all came rushing back. He'd been shot!

Jane processed this information with amazement. The gunshot wound was bad, it burned like hell, but the bullet hadn't killed him. As he sensed the photo album in his arms, he knew it might have saved his life. He'd never make a snide remark about big ugly photo albums again if he got out of this room alive. All the same, he felt sick as waves of pain and panic rolled through his body. Bad as that was, it helped to clear his mind, helped him think again.

From where he was lying, he could look out of the big picture window at the city skyline on the horizon. The sun was getting low in the sky, setting the variegated rooflines on fire with plum, burgundy and orange streaks against the still blue sky. Movement caught his attention. There...across the street, on that roof...was that someone running across the flat roof? A man dressed all in black carrying something long was getting close to the edge and appeared to throw himself down…

A SWAT marksman! Jane had seen these men in action many times, and with a mixture of admiration and fear he realized that they seldom missed when they took aim. But could the marksman tell if he was shooting Virgil or the Mayor, or himself if he dared to try to stand up and run given an opportunity? His head was swimming with a headache, the ringing in his ear extreme thanks to the blast from Virgil's gun. A bout of nausea threatened to give away the secret of his still-beating heart. He had no doubt that Virgil would stand over him and shoot at point blank range just to finish him off and be done with it if he realized the pesky CBI consultant was still alive. A sticky pool of blood was forming under his torso, and he knew he could still die if he remained trapped in the Mayor's office.

Something had to happen, soon.

Virgil grew tired of teasing the Mayor with the bomb and placed it on the edge of the massive desk, then sat down and reached for his drink again. The Mayor had managed to stop crying and wisely stayed silent. Until now.

"S...s...so what now?" Torrelli whimpered.

"So so so...what a baby" Virgil mocked him. "So now I take over. You are going to pick up that phone and call your maintenance department and tell them to fix every playground and park in your file that you've been ignoring in favour of your rich friends."

"Today?" the Mayor said like the idiot he was proving to be.

Virgil leapt up and slammed his hand against the desktop, terrifying the fat man. "No, yesterday! Call the goddam maintenance department right goddam now and get them on it! Then you'll call whoever you need to to cancel the Art Festival. While I watch!" Virgil added, waving his gun in the frightened man's face.

"OK OK OK…" Torrelli shouted in fear, his fingers fumbling with his dial pad. Fortunately for him someone was still at work in the basement office of the maintenance department and he yelled at the man to search the file and start work on the decrepit parks and playgrounds on the poor side of town. When the man on the other end of the phone balked, Torrelli threatened him with termination. The man quickly agreed to pull a team together and get busy with the first playground on his list.

Torrelli slammed down the phone, sweating profusely, then nodded at his captor. "Done."

"Very good. Now pick up the phone and cancel the Festival. Do it or you will be looking like your friend over there on the floor" Virgil said, pointing at Jane's back with his gun.

"Yessir…" Torrelli gulped, fumbling to find a phone number to call.

Jane lay motionless on the floor, eyes closed in exhaustion while Torrelli grovelled before Virgil. Time was ticking by and every minute that passed was a minute that Jane couldn't afford to lose. He needed to get out soon or he would die on that beige carpet.

(The Roof)

SWAT agents were swarming over the roof like an erupting ant hill. Black clad bodies ran all around looking for any skylight or entry point to the building, while others worked in teams to secure ropes around their climbing specialists who would rappel down the side of the building at the Commander's order.

(Mayor's Lobby)

On Lisbon's command, agents from the CBI were working quickly to thread a thin cable underneath the heavy oak doors that led to the Mayor's private office. A small video camera on the end of the cable would be moved around until they found Virgil and Jane. Audio also fed into every Agent's earpiece. Lisbon and her team waited with other police officers for the opportunity to storm through the heavy doors and set the hostages free. An expectant hush fell over the assembly of officers as the agents finished their work and gave the thumbs up sign. The camera was switched on. Everyone was tense, hyper aware and ready to mount a rescue attempt.

Where Virgil stood, only he and the Mayor could be seen. Panic hit Lisbon and her team as they feared that the gunshot had indeed been meant for Jane. Then the agent maneuvered the cable a little lower, close to the plush carpeting, and there, on the floor close to the back wall, they spotted Jane, still, pale, a white photo album against his chest with a blackened hole in it. A growing pool of blood was being absorbed into the thick carpeting. Jane's eyes were closed, and it was impossible to determine if he was breathing, or…

Then one eye wearily opened and seemed to stare right into the camera lens!

"He's still alive!" Grace whispered, overjoyed to see Jane had not been killed. But how long would he stay that way?

Lisbon contacted the SWAT team leader and informed him of the situation inside the room and hoped he could hear what she and the other officers were hearing. Then she reached for the gold cross on the chain around her neck and said a few prayers for Jane to hang on for just a bit longer.


	15. 321

Another weekend is upon us soon so here goes another chapter to hold you until next week. Thank you to my reviewers, you mean the world to me. And to Maepthrn, thank you for the wonderful review. So kind of you. If you like this story, give my other stories a read if you have the time.

Embers

Chapter 15

3...2...1

Torrelli yelled at someone on the other end of the phone and outright demanded that the Art Festival be cancelled immediately. There must have been pushback, because the Mayor was almost apoplectic in his need to make it happen, today, now! Getting the assurance that the event was dead in the water was his only hope of going home to his nagging wife at the end of this horrific day. When he finally jammed the receiver down, he wiped his face with a large white handkerchief and sighed in relief.

"It's done, cancelled. Full stop" he assured Virgil. Virgil smiled and seemed pleased, his tense shoulders relaxing visibly.

"The Universe will thank you one day Mayor Torrelli. No one needed to see that filth, but you'll just do it again next year, and the year after that. As soon as I'm gone it'll be business as usual, won't it Torrelli?" Virgil said softly, an endgame forming in his mind.

Torrelli raised his hands in the air, begging to be believed.

"No! No it won't! We don't ever have to have that Festival in Sacramento again. Like you said, it was mostly filth anyway - glad to be rid of it actually!" he tried to say convincingly, but it fell far short of the mark. Like all of his political promises, it was fake and hollow. Virgil gazed out of the large window, admiring the setting sun and the city skyline. It was beautiful up here, a sight wasted on that slimy liar of a Mayor. A new idea came to Virgil. Time to have some fun.

"Stand up!" Virgil commanded Torrelli.

"Am I free to go now?" the Mayor said hopefully.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. Now walk over to the windows and stand by the door facing the balcony."

Out in the Mayor's Lobby, the agents grew anxious. Something was happening, changing. Virgil had the Mayor on the move. Jane remained unmoving, eyes closed. While no one dared to say it, the assembled cops feared the consultant had died. Everyone tensed, ready to spring into action. The last thing Teresa wanted to do was to storm into the room in a blaze of gunfire. The chances were too great that both the Mayor and Virgil would die in the chaos. Patience might save both men, but the waiting was killing her, and quite literally, Jane.

Torrelli slowly walked away from behind his desk, and gingerly walked past the dead man on the floor. Jane risked opening one eye every so often and was trying to read Virgil's lips, but at this angle, it was exceedingly difficult. As the Mayor passed him, he knew there were only minutes left to do something. But what could he do in his condition? He wasn't even sure he could stand. The Mayor reached the large picture window and waited to see what the madman with the gun was going to do next. He feared it would be a bullet to the back of his head. Virgil strolled across the room and kept his gun, and his attention, fully on Torrelli, leaving his bomb unattended on the edge of the desk.

"Open the door and step onto the balcony!" Virgil barked.

The Mayor fumbled with the lock on the door and managed to get it open with his sweaty, nervous fingers. Behind him Virgil carefully stepped over Jane's body and followed his hostage, smiling with victory. Jane dared to open his eyes and saw an opportunity arise. As soon as Virgil had his back to Jane, Jane rolled painfully to his feet and tried to lunge for the bomb, but his attempt to stand was more clumsy than he had anticipated. Being shot and suffering from vertigo had erased his graceful movements, delaying his reflexes, and ultimately betraying his ability to end this nightmare. Grunting with effort, he gave himself away.

Virgil heard the commotion behind him and spun around, gun aimed at the noise, and found the man he thought dead reaching for the bomb, only inches away. Swaying with effort, Jane was having a hard time staying upright as blood drained from his already ghostly face.

"And who says the dead don't resurrect?" Virgil laughed, stepping forward and shoving Jane down easily with a cuff to the shoulder. Palming the bomb he smirked at the ineffectualness of the CBI consultant.

"I have to give you credit Mr. Jane, you just don't know when to quit. Not like our cowardly Mayor over there" he laughed, pointing his gun at Torrelli on the balcony. "Since you so obviously want to see how all this ends, I'll give you a chance to see it for yourself. Stand up!" he yelled at Jane, spitting in his face. "If you want to play, why not join our little patio party?" he ordered his prisoner, waving his gun at Jane to make him stand up again.

Most of Virgil's words were lost on his victim. Jane felt like the floor was sliding back and forth, tipping and swaying, making his stomach want to expel its contents all over the plush carpeting. He struggled to his knees, then put his hands on the edge of the desk for security and drew himself up on wobbly legs. Virgil nudged him with the end of his gun, indicating he should follow Torrelli out onto the balcony. Jane shuffled painfully across the side of the room with his hands wrapped around his aching torso and stepped through the open door, stopping when he stood next to the astonished Mayor. Torrelli well and truly thought the agent had died.

"Stand on the ledge or I will shoot!" Virgil shouted at the Mayor from inside the room.

"I...I can't! I'm afraid of heights!" Torrelli babbled, terrified by this new challenge.

"Are you afraid of being blown up instead?" Virgil laughed, threatening the man again. "I said get up on the ledge!"

Out in the Lobby, Lisbon and her team had witnessed Jane's resurrection and failed attempt to grab the bomb. Their short-lived joy at seeing him alive was soon replaced by anguish when he was forced to walk outside to the balcony, where they no could no longer see or hear what was happening. They had reached the end of the road. Speaking into her earpiece, Lisbon buzzed the SWAT Commander to tell him what had transpired. Someone outside had to keep eyes on the balcony, fast.

Across the street, the SWAT marksmen on the office building roof watched the Mayor, then Jane, step out onto to the balcony. Still inside the room, Virgil was hard to see in the darkening office. He kept himself hidden behind a ceiling to floor length of white curtains. His presence was evident though, judging from the way Jane and Torrelli walked awkwardly forward with their hands raised. If Virgil just showed himself, maybe someone could get a clean shot and bring this whole sorry travesty to an end.

Mayor Torrelli stood on a patio chair, then stepped gingerly onto the stone ledge. It was approximately 14 inches wide, wide enough to stand on, but a fear of heights and the prospect of imminent death would make anyone wobbly. Torrelli tried not to look down, instead put all of his attention into staying still, perfectly still, until the madman with the gun let him down again.

"You next sleeping beauty!" Virgil shouted at Jane, forgetting the man wouldn't be able to hear him. Unless Jane turned around to face Virgil, or Virgil stepped outside to make Jane read his lips, the CBI consultant would just remain standing still, waiting to see what happened next. Jane was well aware of this tiny bit of power he still held over his kidnapper. Virgil had created a ludicrous situation for himself. But the Mayor wasn't deaf!

"Tell Mr. Jane to stand on the ledge next to you Torrelli! Make sure he can read your lips" he yelled from the safety of the office.

"And if I don't?" Torrelli yelled back in defiance.

Virgil cocked his gun, then shouted back.

"Then you won't have to worry about falling will you? I'll just shoot you where you stand. With luck you'll be dead before you hit the parking lot!"

Jane knew something wasn't going according to plan, and waited, swaying with fatigue and pain, to see what transpired next. He felt light headed and staying upright took every last bit of strength he possessed. He looked up into the scopes of the rifles on the roof directly opposite the Mayor's office and prayed the shot came soon. Mayor Torrelli turned slightly and waved at Jane, desperate to get his attention. When Jane finally acknowledged him, Torrelli pointed at him and mouthed "get up here" to Jane.

 _Oh hell no_.

Jane refused to get up on the ledge, supposing he even could. There was no way he'd survive two minutes in his condition. A man with no balance had no business perching on a narrow ledge. He played dumb and just stood his ground, gazing off into the distance as if he had no idea what was going on. But inside, he was screaming with frustration. Where the hell were the police, the SWAT rescue people, Lisbon?

Up on the roof many stories above the balcony, SWAT agents were ready with their gear and waited for the "go", then would rappel down the side of the building and smash through the large windows with cleats on their boots to penetrate the thick glass. If they could execute the move fast enough, they could catch Virgil off guard. For that to work, Lisbon and her team, and SAC PD had to swarm into the office at the exact same time to distract Virgil before he could detonate the bomb. As for Jane and the Mayor on the balcony, they were actually in the way, impeding the assault on the kidnapper. The SWAT team couldn't swing past them without knocking them down, possibly even knocking them off the balcony entirely. At the moment, the rescue operation had ground to a halt.

Jane stood looking out over the city. Behind him Virgil was screaming for Torrelli to convince Jane to climb up onto the cement ledge, but to no avail. Jane gazed around, purposely refusing to look in the Mayor's direction, then turned his attention to his feet and the balcony ledge. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he was sure he was going to fall down. A fleeting shadow glanced across the ledge, round like a head, then it retreated. Jane perked up and watched for it again. A moment later, the round shape cast a shadow on the ledge again, accompanied by another similar shape, but that round shadow was also accompanied by a long shadow...a rifle?. It had to be the shadows cast by two SWAT agents looking over the edge of the roof to the balcony a couple of stories below, with the sun going down behind them. A rush of adrenaline flooded through Jane and he saw a chance, a minute chance, to turn things around.

Inside the office, Virgil was furious at his stupid CBI hostage and just wanted to shoot him again. Jane refused to stand on the ledge, where he could easily fall, ruining Virgil's fun. If one or even both men fell to their deaths, it wouldn't really be his fault would it? But Jane was deaf, couldn't understand what was going on. Virgil was tempted to quickly step outside to force Jane up and out onto the ledge, but the idea that police could be watching was too daunting. Virgil was almost 100% sure that no one had any idea what was going on here. The only possible witness had been deeply asleep and tied securely to a kitchen chair when he and Jane discussed going to see the Mayor, so who could possibly come after him now? When he'd finished having his fun with the Mayor and the CBI agent, he'd kill them quietly, set a bomb and then stroll out of the building to his new life.

Simple.

Jane also had a plan, borne of desperation. He looked at the marksmen on the roof across the street and held up his bloody hands. He tried to signal that Virgil was inside, behind him, behind the thick white curtain. He also pointed up surreptitiously with his index finger, then made a gun shape with his thumb and index finger, letting the marksmen know that he was aware of the presence of the SWAT team above him on the roof. Now his message was going to be more difficult to understand. If his hand signals weren't understood, then all of this was going to end very badly, very soon.

Jane looked up, then looked at the marksmen and gave them the thumbs up signal. Mayor Torrelli was too busy reciting the Rosary and crossing himself to pay attention to the blond man beside him. Jane was getting more and more unstable on his feet, as his blood pressure plummeted. He had to stay upright for just a bit longer to save himself and the Mayor. Raising both hands and splaying his fingers wide, Jane took one of the biggest risks of his life. He began a countdown on his fingers, holding all 10 of them up in front of his chest, as discreetly as possible. He knew Virgil would soon do something rash.

Across the street, one of the SWAT marksmen was watching Jane's strange behaviour and described his actions into his microphone.

"What the hell is he doing?" he asked, confused and on edge. "The blond guy is pointing to the sky, and playing guns with his fingers. Is he nuts?"

Lisbon was listening in on the call and knew immediately what Jane was trying to do.

"Agent Lisbon here. I think he knows you're across the road, he can see you. He has also figured out that SWAT is getting ready to rappel down the side of the building. Virgil must be getting ready to do something and time is running out."

"Now he's holding up ten fingers…" the marksman said in bewilderment.

"now nine…

now eight…"

Suddenly Lisbon understood what Jane was trying to do.

"It's a countdown! He's telling you to attack when he gets to number one! Get ready! He wants you to attack! You have to act when he gets to one..otherwise it's going to be too late!" Lisbon warned the man.

"Jesus..." the gunman hissed, amazed at Jane's balls.

A call went out to the team on the roof and everyone tensed. It was the team leader's decision, but clearly the CBI agent wanted them to act now. They had no other options left.

Inside the room Virgil tossed down the rest of his gin and tonic and paced behind the curtain, angry and ready to leave now that he had made the Mayor do his bidding. The asshole hadn't fallen yet, so it was time to just set the bomb and stroll out while those two idiots on the balcony waited to be blown to bits. If the bomb didn't kill them, the fall to the street below most certainly would.

Jane's fingers were on 5, and he called out to Torrelli.

"Step down off the railing Mr. Mayor and run to me!"

Torrelli opened his eyes and saw the street far below. He shook his head vehemently, no. Quickly glancing at Jane, he shouted "I can't..he'll shoot!"

Jane didn't have time for this idiocy. "Do as I say and he won't shoot. Step down right now or you _will_ die!" Jane insisted, his fingers counting down to 3… " _do it_!"

The Mayor hesitated, looked down, then back at Jane, then sighed a loud "fuck it!" then stepped back onto the balcony just as Jane's fingers went to 2….

then 1.


	16. Endgame

Thank you for all of the reviews. It's nice to know you are so into the story!

Embers

Chapter 16

Endgame

Virgil watched from inside the office and was enraged to see that damned CBI agent talk the Mayor off the railing. He should be dead! Fine, the asshole had just committed suicide! Virgil raised his gun to shoot the CBI consultant when Jane suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the rotund Mayor around the knees, knocking him down onto the ground. At that exact moment a bullet whizzed over Jane's head, shattering a pane of glass in the window wall. The Mayor fell heavily onto Jane, knocking the air out of him. Instantly a swarm of black clad SWAT agents flew down the side of the building while Virgil ran for cover, shocked that someone had shot out a window. Explosions erupted all around the confused lunatic.

The heavy oak doors crashed open as CBI agents and SAC PD officers ran screaming into the Mayor's office, guns drawn, at the exact moment SWAT agents leaped off the ropes they had used to rappel down the walls of City Hall, and smashed through the windows. Lethal shards of glass flew into the room, spraying Virgil in the back as the SWAT agents raced into the room like giant black beetles. Virgil turned to shoot the first Agent who came into view. Flash bangs momentarily blinded him, giving Lisbon a chance to run close enough to try and disarm the madman. She managed to get off a few shots as Virgil began to indiscriminately fire off rounds at anything that moved.

Lisbon and her team took cover behind the large chairs and desks as SWAT agents swarmed farther into the room. The CBI agents fired from their defensive positions, hoping to disable Virgil before he killed any of the police officers in the crowded room. Virgil hunkered down by the Mayor's heavy oak desk and managed to hit a few officers before return fire tried to find its target. Van Pelt crept around the far side of the room close to the wet bar and shot at Virgil, catching him in the leg before he swung around and shot her in upper arm, grazing her. She dropped low to take cover, signalling to a terrified Rigsby that she was OK. Cho and a SWAT agent took advantage of Virgil's attention on Van Pelt and fired off several rounds. Virgil fought back but was outgunned. The firefight was intense, the air smokey, the noise deafening, then silence descended. Nobody moved.

When the smoke cleared, Virgil was found riddled with bullets, dead on the floor, his bomb beside him. Lisbon checked with Grace and Cho, then seeing they were OK, turned to look towards the window wall in search of Jane. Wayne ran over to examine the bomb and found it had been set to go off.

"Everybody out!" he screamed, looking for some place to put it to deaden the explosion. There was no time to try to diffuse it and he knew two men were still out on the balcony, perhaps injured and unable to run to safety. The room was full of police and SWAT officers. Too many people, all of whom would die if he didn't do something fast. Lisbon, Cho and Van Pelt were getting to their feet from behind the furniture where they had taken refuge in the fire fight.

"I'll get Jane and the Mayor" Cho yelled at Rigsby.

"There's no time!" Rigs replied, afraid they'd all get killed at any moment. "Just get out while you can!"

Cho ignored his friend and ran across the room towards the blown out windows, broken glass crunching underfoot, followed by Lisbon and Grace. Rigsby's heart sank when he saw his red-haired love run out onto the balcony. He wanted her far far away from the blast zone, but she chose to stay, gunshot and bleeding. What a woman...

"It's a bomb! I said get out!" Rigsby shouted to some slow moving officers from the SAC PD.

There was a sudden rush for the large doorway and the side door leading to the pantry, every cop and agent desperate to leave, until only Rigsby remained in the room with the live bomb. Desperately scanning the destroyed room for a place to put it, he finally found a solution, but there was no guarantee it would save his own life. In the corner of the room stood a large old fashioned cast iron safe, at least 5 feet tall and very ornate. Trying the handle, Wayne discovered it was locked. He ran to the balcony and grabbed the Mayor, who was staggering to his feet. Lisbon ignored Torelli, her attention solely on her consultant.

"Open the safe!" Wayne yelled. The Mayor quickly resumed his imperious manner.

"I will do no such thing! My private papers are in there."

Rigsby had no time for this bullshit. He grabbed the bomb and held it up to the Mayor's nose.

"This is live, it's armed, and it's going to explode any second. Open the goddamned safe!" he yelled. That did the trick.

Mayor Torrelli ran to the safe, afraid he'd forget the combination before the bomb exploded.

"Be calm, think, and we'll all get out of here alive" Wayne said, trying to calm the hysterical man and eyeing his friends out on the balcony helping Jane. Torrelli tried three times, but finally the tumblers cooperated and the large door swung open.

"Get outta here!" Wayne yelled, throwing the bomb inside the safe and locking the door again.

Out on the balcony, Cho turned Jane over and recoiled at the amount of blood all over his shirt and the front of his pants. A heartbreaking gasp of pain escaped Jane's lips but his eyes never opened. Cho grasped him under his arms, his hands screaming in pain as his blisters were dragged open. Lisbon and Grace helped him lift Jane up and over his shoulder, then pulled him back through the window frame and guided him across the debris strewn room until they could make a run for safety across the wide Lobby. The Mayor was oblivious to the drama going on behind him on the balcony, as only his safety was on the top of his mind. When Rigsby yelled at him to get out now that the bomb was inside the safe, he didn't need to be told twice. Torrelli pushed his way past Lisbon and her team as they hustled Jane across the hall. The last they saw of the Mayor was when he disappeared down the Lobby and around a corner.

Rigsby ran out of the office, hoping he'd done enough to save the building from exploding in flames. Along the way he caught up to his team and helped Cho with Jane's dead weight body. They kept running until they reached safety in a large office on the other side of the Mayor's Lobby, where SAC PD officers were huddled behind a thick wall. Wayne and Cho put Jane gently on the floor and the team hovered over his body, waiting for the explosion. They didn't have to wait long. As soon as the team had Jane safe and protected in a circle of bodies, the bomb in the safe blew up, the force of the explosion sending the safe upwards then slamming it down into the floor, breaking through the supports and leaving it hanging half way through the ceiling of the room one floor below.

For a moment, no one moved. Then a cheer arose from the relieved SAC PD and CBI officers. They had all survived! Rigsby was slapped on the back in congratulations. Everyone joined in except Teresa. With Jane so badly injured, Lisbon didn't feel like celebrating just yet, then her radio crackled to life.

"Everybody safe up there?" a male voice asked.

Lisbon answered and looked at Jane. "We're OK. Coming down soon. We need EMT's sent up here ASAP. Two of our agents have been shot, one's critical!"

"Will do."

The SAC PD officers began to scatter and look for their teammates, while Cho did a cursory examination of Jane, who was starting to come around. He was confused and beginning to shake uncontrollably from blood loss. Dilated eyes and cool clammy skin coupled with a grey complexion further indicated Jane was going into shock. Lisbon was afraid he was mortally wounded. When Cho's fingers pressed on his chest, Jane gave an involuntary hiss of pain. Cho hissed in pain as well as his raw fingers were forced to work without bandages to protect them.

"How is he Cho?" Lisbon asked, scared by the amount of blood saturating the front of Jane's shirt.

"He's holding on but it's not good. Took a shot to the chest." He looked at Teresa. "He should be dead Boss. He's going into shock. We need to get him outta here right now."

"But he'll make it?"

The desperate sound of Lisbon's question made Cho soften his answer. Cho was no doctor, but he believed Jane had narrowly avoided death this time, if he could get medical care soon enough.

"I hope so Boss. He needs to get warmed up and taken to a hospital immediately. Maybe this time we can convince him to stay in the hospital longer" he said with chagrin.

"Oh God…" Lisbon sighed, her hands clutching her cross in worry. Damn that man was aging her fast!

Cho took off his jacket and placed it on Jane, along with Rigsby's and Van Pelt's to help keep Jane warm. When she felt it was safe to leave Jane's side for a moment, Lisbon went looking for Wayne and Grace. She found them together, with Wayne hovering over Grace with worry.

"I'm Ok Wayne...it's just a scratch" Grace tried to tell him, but the blood on her sleeve was too much for the big guy. He was too preoccupied with her well being to realize he had saved everyone and the building from disaster. Lisbon checked on Grace then turned to Wayne in gratitude. She needed to congratulate the man herself for preventing another tragedy.

"Thank you Wayne. Quick thinking about using the safe to stifle the bomb blast. You saved everyone, and City Hall. The city owes you big time" she smiled.

Wayne smiled and blushed. "Thanks Boss...just good luck...Jane helped…" he acknowledged, knowing Jane had given them the opportunity to strike before it was too late. "How's Jane doing?" he asked, glancing over at the pallid man.

"Not great. The sooner we get him to the hospital the better. Same for you Van Pelt" Lisbon said, patting Grace on the shoulder.

"Yes Ma'am."

"We will be eating the biggest Closed Case pizza in the history of the world when we're finally done with this case" Lisbon told her team as they waited for the EMT's to arrive. No one seemed to care. Food was the last thing on their minds but she tried to lighten the mood as everyone studied Jane's ashen face and bloodied body. He was unaware of the outcome of the hostage situation. All he knew was a universe of pain, his world reduced to the limited geography of his broken body. Pain was a world unto itself, and it was totally in command of Jane's body and brain now. He had been moaning earlier, but now he had fallen silent. Teresa knew it was a bad sign.

Lisbon stayed by Jane's side until the medics arrived and took over his care. By the time the EMT's had Jane secured on a gurney and evacuated to the main lobby downstairs, the front steps of City Hall were crawling with reporters and TV journalists from every major network. Front and centre was the Mayor, relishing the attention of the microphones and cameras, making himself out to be a hero who helped to foil a lunatic's lust for death and destruction. Lisbon watched him in disgust for a moment, then turned away. Soon enough the real story would come out, a story the Mayor would prefer the gentle citizens of Sacramento never heard.

The ambulance took Jane to the same hospital he had only recently been discharged from. A team of specialists were waiting for him when he arrived and he was whisked inside and hustled into triage. The same doctor who had treated him just one day earlier examined him and was surprised the man had not only come back, but this time with a gunshot wound! While Jane was being evaluated Wayne took Grace to have her arm examined, leaving Cho and Lisbon to wait for word on Jane.

Lisbon sat once again in the same waiting room to hear how her friend and colleague was doing. Cho got up and managed to find some coffee to help pass the time. Just when Lisbon thought she would explode with frustration, the doctor came looking for her.

"Agent Lisbon?" the doctor smiled, recognizing the small dark haired woman.

"Doctor...so we meet again" she smiled bleakly.

"I'm afraid so. Your consultant certainly has a way of finding trouble" the doctor said in amazement.

"Well he doesn't go looking for it, it just finds him" Lisbon said truthfully. "How is Mr. Jane?"

The doctor pointed to the chairs and got down to business.

"Please, let's sit down. He's still concussed, no surprise there. His left ear suffered no further damage so it's still on track to heal naturally."

Lisbon wanted to scream. _Just tell me he's going to live!_

The doctor continued. "His ribs are severely bruised, one is cracked from a blow or a fall. We're treating him for shock, due to blood loss. That is a big concern and we have to get him stabilized. The gunshot wound should have been fatal, but surprisingly enough, it didn't penetrate his chest far enough to damage any arteries or major organs. However, there is internal damage. Something slowed the bullet down and saved his life."

"So he's going to live?" Lisbon had to ask.

The doctor hated to make promises he couldn't keep. Even a seemingly insignificant injury sometimes spiralled into something life threatening. He wouldn't commit himself to guaranteeing Jane would pull through. Not yet.


	17. Touch and Go

Ok, here's a much longer chapter. Thanks for the support friends!

Embers

Chapter 17

Touch and Go

The doctor took his time answering Lisbon's question. Would Jane live? There were so many reasons why he hesitated to make such a promise. Blood loss, shock, a lingering concussion, possible lung damage from the broken rib...the patient's health was very unstable. He hated to disappoint the CBI Agent as she so clearly cared for Mr. Jane, but the doctor would not set her up for further let down.

"I won't sugar coat Mr. Jane's condition. The bullet did a lot of damage to his soft tissues and muscles. We're pushing fluids into him as quickly as we dare to bring up his blood volume, but until we can get the bullet out and stop the bleeding, he isn't out of the woods. We need to operate right away and get his blood pressure levelled out."

Seeing Lisbon's crestfallen expression, he tried to give her hope.

"All things considered, he's one very sick but lucky man. He's made it so far against all odds. Hold onto that Agent Lisbon."

Teresa nodded numbly and let his words sink in. "I think he's running out of lives..."

"Yes...well, I should get back to Mr. Jane. We'll take him to surgery to remove the bullet and I will make sure you get it for your evidence. Once we take care of his more serious injuries, we'll move him to Intensive Care. The next day or two will tell the story, then he needs to rest, for several weeks. That will be the best thing for him once we discharge him."

"Please, do me a favour...don't discharge him too soon. He needs to stay here this time!" Lisbon said in desperation.

"He's not going anywhere Agent. We'll make sure of that" the doctor assured her before heading off to see to his very ill patient.

Lisbon waited patiently until she saw Jane's gurney being taken to the elevator leading to the OR. She leapt off her chair and ran towards the semi-conscious man. Cho hung back to give her some time alone with her consultant. Walking beside Jane, she squeezed his hand and let him know he wasn't alone.

"Terr...eeee...sssaaa" Jane sighed, glad to see his partner and best friend, then his face clouded over in worry. "Vir….Virgil...bomb…" he tried to warn her, still unaware that the bomber had died before he could kill everyone with his lethal weapon. The pre-surgical sedative was adding to his confusion.

Lisbon asked the attendant to wait for just a moment. Getting in front of Jane so that he could see her face, she carefully chose her words to put him at ease.

"It...is...over. Virgil...is...dead. Bomb...gone" she mouthed, to Jane's immense relief. Jane smiled slightly then closed his eyes, finally allowing the sedative to work its magic and carry him away to insensibility before he entered the surgical suite.

As the elevator doors closed and Jane disappeared, Lisbon trudged back to the waiting room to begin yet another vigil for her consultant and friend. Cho left to get his hands attended to now that there was nothing more they could do for Jane. Two lousy coffees and several old magazines later, a familiar voice drew her attention away from the gossip pages.

"Look what we found Boss!" Cho called out, walking towards Lisbon with really good coffee and a bagful of donuts. His hands were once again wrapped up in clean white gauze and for that he was grateful. Wayne and Grace were following behind, her arm bandaged and supported in a sling. Just seeing her team lifted a terrible load off Teresa's shoulders.

"Hi guys, thanks for coming. Grace, how are you?"

"Just a graze Boss. A few stitches and I'm good as new" she smiled, but winced when she moved her arm to sit.

"It hurts like hell but she won't admit it" Wayne groused, worried about Van Pelt.

"You all were great at City Hall. All of you" Lisbon smiled as Cho offered her the bag of donuts.

Lisbon reached into the bag and withdrew a bear claw, thankful for her team's thoughtfulness.

"How's Jane?" Grace asked as they sat down to wait with their boss.

"Still in surgery. The doctor said he was lucky the bullet didn't kill him, which it should have I guess. He's pretty fragile right now. He wouldn't have lasted much longer back there with Virgil."

Those words had a chilling effect on the small group, until Wayne spoke up.

"Good luck keeping him in here once he feels better."

"That'll be fun" Cho smirked, knowing full well that as soon as Jane was conscious he'd be angling to get released. The team smiled at that understatement and formed a tight circle around their leader, boss and friend. They ate their donuts in silence as they each dealt with their own fears and worries for Jane. Finally Rigsby had to get up and move, breaking the silence with a question aimed to take the team's minds off Patrick.

"What's Mayor Torrelli up to now? Besides hogging every camera he can find?" he asked.

"We'll find out over the next few days, but he better enjoy the limelight while he can. I think his troubles are just beginning" Lisbon answered. "I plan on getting him in for an interview as soon as possible. Cho, can you debrief him for me?"

"No problem. Consider it done."

"He's got some explaining to do. I don't think the voters will be too happy with him once the full story comes out" Lisbon added.

"Couldn't happen to a nicer guy" Grace muttered with disgust.

"I think we need to get some forensic accountants in to examine the books in the Mayor's office. The folder Jane took from his office and the binder we looked at in the Maintenance office point to the diversion of funds away from large swaths of the city. The Mayor didn't want us to look at his file. There's something not right there" Lisbon added.

"Not to mention he's a coward and a liar" Grace said vehemently. Even unarmed and dying from a gunshot Jane had more courage in his baby finger than that pompous gasbag in the Mayor's office.

"I'll get on that first thing in the morning" Cho assured Lisbon. She nodded her thanks then the group fell into a quiet vigil. Time passed slowly but eventually the doctor reappeared and sat down with the agents.

"How is he?" Lisbon asked. The surgeon looked exhausted.

"He's in rough shape. He lost a lot of blood and his health was already compromised before he got shot, so we'll have to watch him closely. The bullet just missed his heart but did some internal damage as I suspected. We've been repairing those injuries and hope for a good outcome. When he's out of recovery he'll be going up to the ICU to be monitored for the next 24 hours. As long as his bullet wound doesn't become infected and we build him up with transfusions we should see him improve slowly over the next few days. For now there isn't much more we can do. It's just a matter of waiting and watching him carefully."

Lisbon took it all in but was hoping for a much happier report. As the rest of the team mumbled their thanks to the tired doctor, Lisbon echoed them as an afterthought.

"Thank you doctor" Lisbon added, happy that Jane had survived being shot but frightened just the same. He wasn't out of the woods just yet.

(ICU - Evening)

Jane got through his surgery well, and had slept for the next 24 hours. When he was finally allowed to surface from his sedation he was confused and distressed. It took a couple of very kind nurses to calm him down, but it was difficult conveying their assurances to the pain racked and still-deaf man. They had been warned to speak slowly and simply so that he could try to read their lips, but in his weakened condition he wasn't capable of concentrating on their words. As he was in danger of ripping his stitches, a light sedative was added to Jane's IV line as well as a bump up in his pain meds. It was early days and he was still very sick. Lisbon hovered by his door but he was too out of it to realize his closest ally was there for him. The look of desperation on his face broke her heart.

In a matter of a minute or two his contortions in the bed slowed down and he fell asleep again. When the nurses were satisfied that Jane was once again calm and sleeping, they left. Lisbon collected herself and stepped forward, wiping a tear away from her cheek as she approached the bed, and gently reached down to take his now limp hand in hers.

"It's alright Patrick. You're not alone. Never alone. You haven't been...not for a long time."

(CBI - Next Morning)

Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt had convened a quick meeting in Lisbon's temporary office on the third floor. The smell of smoke still permeated the building but soon it would fade as new furnishings and wall treatments erased the lingering effects of the bomb that destroyed their cherished office. A file folder sat in front of each of them, the contents of which they hoped to use to bring down a corrupt Mayor and his Council. Coffees steamed as they opened their folders and scanned the information inside. Soon they would be joined by forensic accountants to verify that something fishy was going on in City Hall. Van Pelt pulled a borrowed laptop up and began to load in searches on City Hall maintenance schedules, payroll information, and any company the Maintenance department had been instructed to hire to provide upkeep on City buildings, playgrounds and recreational facilities. The accounts were well done by a skilled CPA, but hidden within those figures she knew they would find corruption. The team needed to learn as much as they could as to how the Mayor ran his City Hall, gathering incriminating evidence before Cho interrogated the overly self-confident man. Judging from all of his radio and TV appearances, the Mayor thought he was completely safe and untouchable now that Virgil was dead. Each appearance allowed him to dig his own political grave a bit deeper.

As the morning wore on, more and more files were added to their already burgeoning piles, until Rigsby called it quits to go and find food. Cho and Van Pelt followed suit, grabbing their jackets and running for the elevator to catch up to the big man. A quick meal of chinese food would fill them up and get them back to work within the hour. Mid-afternoon, Cho had a date with Mayor Torrelli and needed to be prepared.

(Sacramento Hospital)

Across town, Lisbon stood close to Patrick's bed, her five minute time allotment fast elapsing. She had stayed at the hospital as long as possible the night before but finally had to give in to exhaustion and went home to sleep. It came as something of a shock when she stepped inside her apartment and once again saw the evidence of a crime scene. Some yellow crime scene tape flapped by her front door and her living room and kitchen had been dusted for fingerprints. Sighing at the prospect of the cleanup job ahead of her, Lisbon climbed her stairs with fatigue and tried to ignore the feeling of her private space being violated by that murderous lunatic. A hot shower, a glass of red wine and a quick check of her messages helped to get her head back into a much safer space, and finally Teresa slid into bed to find the escape that she needed so badly. By 9am the next morning she was back in the ICU, waiting to be allowed in to see her sick consultant and friend.

Each hour she appeared at his beside and tried to stay as long as possible before being shooed out by a no-nonsense nurse. If she was lucky, he would rouse from his slumbers and open his eyes, gazing contentedly at her. Did he know what was going on? Teresa had no way of knowing but she would beam a bright smile at him and mouth "hi" just in case he was alert enough to know she was there. She kept talking to a bare minimum, seeing how it wore him out, but he seemed satisfied to hold her hand and let the drugs soothe him into a cozy in-between world of fantasy and reality. Thankfully he wasn't tormented with nightmares. They of course would return when he was well and home alone again in his dingy motel room, but for now, his warm bed, his pain killers and the beautiful face hovering over him induced a state of near bliss.

Later in the morning Jane woke up again, and this time he was more lucid. He was very sore and distressed to find himself not only in the hospital, but in the ICU. As his monitors signalled that he had awakened, a nurse came in to check on him and tell him where he was. Jane would normally have been surly with her but he was far too ill and exhausted to do anything but lay back and let the nurse do her work without protesting. Waiting behind her was Teresa, looking haggard and worried. Jane let the nurse do her checkup, but ignored whatever she was saying as it would have taken too much effort to read her lips. His sole focus was on Lisbon's face. When the nurse realized her patient either couldn't or wouldn't understand her, she left and allowed the CBI agent to visit .

Teresa came over to the side of Jane's bed and put her hand on his.

"Hi" she smiled, "glad to see you're awake."

Jane managed a wan smile and stroked her hand with his thumb. He didn't have the energy to do much else.

"How are you feeling?"

"Hurts" he mumbled. Damn ear was still ringing. "Sore."

"You had surgery."

"Mmmm"

He gazed into her worried face and wanted to drink in every precious curve of her cheeks, the sweep of her eyelashes, the tilt of her concerned head. He would if he could keep his eyes open. He tried to understand why he was in the hospital. Why the ICU? The drugs were messing with his mind and it freaked him out. His world was all about control. Control of himself, his memories, especially his emotions, his anger and his lust for revenge. He also needed to feel he could control other people if push came to shove, but here he was tethered to several pieces of equipment, with no control over his situation at all.

As he tore his eyes off Teresa he scanned his small room. Lisbon saw his attempts to deal with his incarceration in the ICU and decided to see how much he remembered of his confrontation with Virgil.

Taking his cheek in her hand, she drew his face back to hers.

"Jane...do you remember being with Virgil Murdock and the Mayor?" she asked, keeping her sentences brief.

Jane stared at her thoughtfully and tried to put all of the events of the last few days in order. There was a bombing...when was that? They were looking for someone...someone was blowing up parts of Sacramento. Virgil Murdock...he got an image in his mind of the young man, but he looked like a soldier. When Lisbon saw the questioning look on his face she decided to help him put the pieces together.

"Virgil bombed an art gallery, and the CBI building. You got hurt. Deaf…" she added, pointing to his ears.

Jane raised a hand to his left ear and felt the large bandage still glued over his ear. He remembered. He was hurt... Lisbon took him in to stay with her...then he was kidnapped and taken by that soldier, to save Lisbon. What had happened to the Mayor?

"Torrelli...is he dead?" Jane asked cautiously.

Lisbon grasped both his hands in hers and smiled deeply.

"No. You saved him. Rigsby put the bomb in the safe and we all got you out of there before it exploded. No one died except Virgil."

Jane concentrated hard on reading her lips, no mean feat considering his tenuous hold on wakefulness. Lisbon had no doubt she would have to repeat this conversation with Jane again very soon..

"But...why…" he began, looking down at himself.

Lisbon sighed and lifted his white sheet, exposing his torso.

"You got shot Jane" she said simply, lowering his bed sheet to his waist, allowing him to see his heavily bandaged chest and the black and blue bruises encircling his torso from the broken and cracked ribs.

Jane took it all in but was too groggy to be shocked. For now, it was just information to be remembered and digested perhaps tomorrow. As he began to wilt, Lisbon covered him up and took his hand again.

"You're going to be fine" she mouthed with sincerity.

Jane just nodded and then closed his eyes, content to know he wasn't alone. Lisbon stayed by his side, his hand relaxed in her warm grip. He didn't open his eyes again during her brief visit and was fast asleep before the nurse came in to tell Lisbon it was time to go.

(Evening)

Promptly at the top of each hour, Lisbon appeared at Jane's doorway waiting for the nurse to let her in to visit her consultant. This time, Jane was much more awake than he had been in the morning. His sedation was being slowly cut back allowing him to stay awake for longer and longer periods of time. Each time Lisbon came to visit, she would remind him why he was there. He finally understood how close to dying he had come.

Jane relished seeing Lisbon alive and well. He knew there had been a shootout while he was out on the balcony with the Mayor on top of him, but he hadn't been aware of much by that point. Now he realized how much danger Lisbon and his friends had been in...so many people could have died.

"Hi Jane."

"Hi. Thanks for coming."

"I had some free time, thought I'd drop in" Lisbon said with a cheeky smile. Jane grinned back in happiness. He knew she would be practically living at the hospital now. He became more serious as a thought popped into his mind.

"Everyone OK?" Jane asked.

Lisbon pulled up a chair and sat, still keeping contact with Jane's hand. For some reason, she didn't care what anyone thought if they saw it. The man saved her life and almost lost his as a result.

"Grace's arm got grazed by a bullet, but she's OK" Lisbon said carefully. "Cho's hands are sore from his burns but he and Wayne are fine. A few other officers got minor gunshot wounds and will recover. Virgil died in the assault on the Mayor's office."

Jane read her lips and took it all in. So only one death…

"Torrelli?" he asked again, not trusting his memory yet.

"You saved him Jane. He's fine, for now."

"For now?"

"Long story...tell you another day" she said simply, assuming that reading lips must be tiring in his condition.

"Ok...tomorrow…" he answered, content for the moment. Lisbon remained sitting close to Jane's bed, happy to wait for him to initiate conversation or just lay there knowing he wasn't alone. Every once in a while Jane would close his eyes and seem as if he was sleeping, but he was awake, happy and for the time being, pain free. Then an idea bubbled up in his memory palace.

He opened his eyes and pushed his bed sheet away from his chest.

"What's wrong Jane?" Lisbon asked, standing up with concern.

Jane gazed at his chest and remembered what Lisbon had told him at some point.

"I got shot!"

Smiling in relief, Lisbon nodded, glad his memory was getting more reliable.

"Yes you did. Scared the crap out of all of us."

Jane ran his hand cautiously over his bandages and remembered seeing Virgil aiming his gun at his heart, knowing he had run out of time and was going to die. A shiver of remembered panic ran up his spine.

"Scared the hell out of me too."

Lisbon saw him shiver and thought he was cold, so she pulled the sheet back up to Jane's shoulders, willing him to put that memory behind him.

"When you feel better, we need to get your side of the story. Cho interviewed Mayor Torrelli to see what he has to say about Virgil. We're also looking at the financials to see if he's been cooking the books."

Jane nodded in understanding. He had no doubt Torrelli was dirty. The bastard needed to be brought down.

The nurse came in to tell her it was time to go. This was the best visit Teresa had had with Jane since he was shot, and she regretted having to leave, but she didn't want to tire Patrick out now that he seemed to be on the road to recovery.

"Gotta go. Get some sleep, see you later" she smiled, standing up to take her leave.

As the nurse stepped up to his bed to take his vitals, Jane gave Lisbon a little wave of his hand then closed his eyes to slip away into a light sleep. Taking one last look at his peaceful face, Lisbon quietly left Jane's room and left him to go and check in with her team and let them know how Jane was doing now that he was awake. She found the cafeteria and grabbed some food while taking her phone out to call her people. Then she would visit Jane one or two more times before going home to catch up on some sleep.


	18. Eyes Wide Open

We're getting close to the end but it isn't over yet. Thank you once again to all my regular reviewers, your insights and ideas are really interesting. And to the guest reviewers, sorry I can't answer you, but your comments and questions are great!

Embers

Chapter 18

Eyes Wide Open

(CBI - Mid-Afternoon)

Mayor Torrelli rushed over to the CBI building directly from his latest appearance on a local chat show, TV makeup still plastered on his rosy face. He was having a great time. Everyone wanted to speak to him, get his insight into the terrible siege at the City Hall where he had so bravely held fast against the lunatic mad bomber. In each retelling of his story, the lies got bigger, the details more lurid, his bravery more amazing. He happily agreed to come to the CBI office to fill them in on his experience with Virgil Murdock.

Cho and the team had prepared well for Torrelli's interview and although they were not forensic accountants, they had found major discrepancies in the maintenance logs for the City Works department. Money allocated for maintenance in the poorer neighbourhoods never seemed to have been spent in those parks and playgrounds, all the while richer neighbourhoods received the lion's share of improvements above and beyond what was listed in the financials. Something didn't add up.

At the appointed time, the Mayor arrived with a small coterie of administrative officials, all trailing along behind him enjoying his new, high profile. When Cho met Torrelli at the elevator, he immediately dismissed these hangers on, much to their disappointment. They had no part to play in Torrelli's interview, so he got rid of them. Cho walked down the corridor with Torrelli, opened an office door and ushered the man inside.

Torrelli gave the room a quick inspection and wasn't impressed as he settled himself into a chair. Agent Cho had put him in what appeared to be one of the interrogation rooms, and the effect was immediate. The Mayor's sunny disposition was quickly replaced by unease. He believed he would be meeting Agent Cho in a comfortable office, perhaps in the boardroom, with coffee and cookies offered to make his visit more amenable. This room, with its steel table with handcuff loops built in, and a wall of mirrors that no doubt were two-way, unsettled him, made him feel like a criminal. Cho left him in there for an extended time to see how rattled the man became. Torrelli felt like he was in a Hollywood crime movie, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. _So this is what the bad guys must go through when they are brought in on suspicion of committing a crime…_

Torrelli knew he wasn't innocent himself, but still, this was no way to treat the Mayor of Sacramento, and so he resolved that he would have to have a word with Cho's Boss, not Lisbon, but Hightower. If she wanted continued funding for the CBI he expected to be treated with respect. As he worked himself up into a righteous snit, Cho entered, holding a hot coffee for himself, but offered nothing to the indignant Mayor.

"It's about time you got back to me Agent Cho! I came because you asked me to drop in but I'm a busy man, with a full schedule! I just left a TV interview and I have another one scheduled in 45 minutes. I don't appreciate your tardiness" he complained, like an elementary school principal.

Cho made an exaggerated show of looking at his watch, then looked at Torrelli.

"You're going to be late."

Annoyed, the Mayor stood up and started for the door. "I have more important things to do than to be kept waiting by you. You had your chance to speak to me but I really must be going. I have another TV appearance downtown that I can't miss. Please call my assistant to set up another appointment and I'll try to fit you in" he vented. Just as his hand hit the doorknob, Cho stood up, his hand on his gun at his hip, and said five words that Torrelli would remember as the beginning of the end for his life as the Mayor of Sacramento.

"That's not how this works!"

Torrelli's head swivelled around at Cho's impertinence and he opened his mouth to issue a warning to the stern Asian. Before he could speak, the door pushed open and Wayne Rigsby stepped into the room, forcing Torrelli to back up.

"Excuse me Agent but I was just on my way out" Torrelli said to Wayne, hoping to get the big guy on his side, but Wayne stood still, arms crossed, blocking the doorway.

"How about you sit down Mr. Mayor?" Rigsby said calmly, before taking a seat next to Cho.

Torrelli hesitated, eyeing the door but not sure if he dared go through it now. He was used to issuing orders, not taking them. Something in Rigsby's tone and Cho's serious demeanor finally got through to him and he quickly sat down, keeping his mouth shut. It didn't matter if they treated him badly because he'd see that these two agents were fired before the week was out.

Cho waited until Torrelli seemed like he was going to cooperate, then he began.

"Mr. Mayor, I don't think you understand why we asked you to come in today. This isn't a photo op, nor is it an opportunity to sign autographs. We have some questions for you regarding the disbursement of City funds. We've gone over the Maintenance logs and your file of work priorities. There seems to be a disconnect between where the money should go, and where it actually went."

The Mayor hadn't expected this line of questions. He came here to discuss Virgil Murdock, and how he, the Mayor, had handled the crazy bomber with great wisdom and calm. Why was Agent Cho talking about Maintenance logs and City funding?

"What is all this about Agent? Don't you want to hear my side of the story? Virgil Murdock almost killed me and your agent and could have destroyed our beautiful City Hall, a true historic treasure!"

"We'll get to that Mr. Mayor, but first I want to understand how you designated funding for your City Works projects, and the influence lobbyists played in how those projects were completed."

The Mayor was gobsmacked by the question, and scrambled to come up with an answer that wouldn't harm himself or his reputation with the voters.

"I give guidance to my Maintenance department, telling them how to prioritize their jobs, based on need and resources. How dare you suggest otherwise!"

"Then how can you explain the amount of work done on this side of the river instead of the work needed on the other side of the City, especially when it is clear that political lobbyists visited you with wads of cash to persuade you to improve their neighbourhoods. That work was done at the expense of those neighbourhoods with lower income residents. Those people needed the work done to make their playgrounds safe."

Torrelli let that question sink in for a moment, biting his tongue, then he leaned forward and waved his finger in Cho's face. "Be careful what you accuse me of Agent. I can have you removed from your position. And whatever work is done is up to me, not you, and certainly not those people on welfare."

Cho had to grin. The Mayor was a one man wrecking crew when it came to incriminating himself. This was going to be too easy.

"Ok, so you admit you decide how to spend City money, where and when improvements will be made. Just to let you know, at this moment Forensic Accountants are going over all of your files from your office and from every other department in City Hall. What do you think they're going to find Mr. Mayor?"

Torrelli opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and stayed silent, a cold chill running up his spine. He knew damned well that the accountants would find plenty that he would be hard pressed to explain. Sweat rolled down his chubby face as he began to understand that his world was beginning to fray at the edges.

"Why did Virgil Murdock need to go to your office?" Rigsby asked, changing tactics.

"How should I know? The man was a lunatic, a murderer, a bomber! Why would I know what brought him to City Hall?"

"Virgil said he tried to contact you several times to discuss why the poorer neighbourhoods weren't being better serviced. He noticed those things Mayor, he could see that something wasn't right and he tried to talk to you about it but you blew him off."

"It's his word against mine, and the man is dead. Who would you rather believe?" Torrelli asked smugly.

"I don't have to choose. The court will, based on the evidence we're gathering" Cho answered. That shut the Mayor up.

It was very early in the investigation, but Cho's goal had been accomplished today. He wanted to see for himself how truthful Torrelli was going to be before hard evidence tripped him up. Sadly, his estimation of the Mayor was proving to be correct. The man was a liar and a thief. A court date was in his future. Something else to add to his busy schedule. Cho and Rigs stood up, and indicated Torrelli could leave. As the Mayor was going through the door, Cho had one last zinger to hit him with.

"Don't leave town Mr. Mayor. We're going to be speaking to you again very soon."

As the usually rosy complected man stopped in the doorway, the colour drained from his face, then he turned and got out of there as quickly as he could.

His appointment with the TV station was abruptly cancelled.

(Sacramento Hospital)

Lisbon left the hospital relieved to see that Jane was comfortable but knew the worst was coming. Once his pain medication was cut back, he'd be a grizzly bear to deal with. By then she hoped he'd be out of the ICU and on a regular nursing floor so she and her team could spend more time visiting and relieving Jane's boredom. For now she was just happy to see his chest rise and fall in regular, peaceful respirations. One difficult day at a time was all she could handle.

The next couple of days slipped by quickly, with Lisbon running back and forth between her temporary office, consulting with her team, and rushing back to the hospital to keep an eye on Jane. When she arrived one morning several days after the shooting, she was thrilled to discover Jane awake and fidgeting in his bed. Nurses were fussing around him, disconnecting monitors and wiring, prepping him for a trip upstairs to a regular nursing floor. Lisbon stood in his doorway and shot Patrick a beaming smile, encouraging him to cooperate with the nurses who only wanted the best for him. He managed a wan smile in return and gave her a little thumbs up signal. Upon seeing Teresa, Jane calmed down and lay still to let the staff do their jobs unimpeded. Lisbon took this as a good sign. A feisty Jane was a Jane on the mend.

The bed was slowly pulled away from the wall and Teresa stepped out of the way to let the convoy of nurses push and pull Jane's bed out of his room and out of the Intensive Care Unit towards a set of elevators. Lisbon joined the group and held Jane's hand when he lifted it up towards her. Such a small thing, but it warmed her heart more than she could express.

A short ride up took them to a different floor where she had to wait while Patrick was settled into a new bed and hooked up to new monitors. Ten minutes later the last nurse left and signalled that Teresa could go in and visit Jane.

The entire exercise had tired Jane out but the expression of joy on his face to be in a new room, freed from his pain pump and oxygen equipment, was a wonderful thing to see. The head of his bed was slightly raised, allowing Jane a better opportunity to see more of his new, albeit limited world.

"Hi Jane" Lisbon smiled, patting his hand.

"Hi yourself."

"How are you feeling?"

"Aerated" Jane said sarcastically, pointing to the location of the bullet wound.

"Smart ass…"

Jane smiled at their familiar banter. _God it was good to be fully awake again_.

"It's a relief to see you out of the ICU. You had us worried" Teresa admitted.

Jane took a long time to answer, content to see Lisbon so clearly, finally. The last few days had been a fuzzy blur to him, although he knew somehow that she had been there every time he opened his eyes.

"I had me worried too" he replied, showing Lisbon a rare glimpse of his own private fears.

"You helped save Mayor Torrelli with that countdown you did on the balcony."

A smile rewarded Lisbon for her compliment. "I did, didn't I?"

Lisbon wanted to say so much, to ask Jane so many questions, but it was too soon. She didn't want to tire him.

"We were looking for a way to get inside that office without getting you or the Mayor killed, and you managed to do it. None too soon either. We almost lost you Jane" she said slowly and carefully as he watched her lips move.

"Meh...don't be dramatic Lisbon."

Feeling like she'd been slapped in the face, Teresa's smile dropped and she stepped closer to the bed, taking Jane's hand in hers.

"Don't do that. Don't deflect, not this time. You got shot and almost died Jane. If you had been in that office any longer it would have been too late!"

Jane hadn't expected Teresa to get so upset so quickly by his flippant words. She had really been afraid he'd die this time… he didn't mean it...he had been terrified as well, after all.

"Sorry. I just...had no other options left. And I wanted you to be safe no matter what" Jane explained quietly, feeling uncharacteristically ashamed of himself for upsetting Teresa. She had suffered through that seige too. She nodded at his explanation, but had to ask him something else that had been bothering her.

"About that...you allowed yourself to be a lamb to the slaughter back at my place. When you talked Virgil out of the apartment I wanted to scream at you to stop. What were you thinking Jane?"

Now Patrick could allow himself to feel redeemed. On this point there was no question about the choices he'd made.

"Virgil had his gun aimed at your head. At. Your. Head! You didn't see him, _I did_. He was going to shoot you right there and then. And as we both know, he would have done it. I had to talk him out of it and put the focus back on me Lisbon. And it worked, he didn't shoot you. Plus, I wouldn't have heard you scream anyway."

"But you could have died!"

"Yes, maybe I might have, but you definitely didn't, so it was a good plan" he said, leaning back into his pillow in satisfaction. The buzzing in his ear was definitely less today!

Seeing that this was a conversation that would get her nowhere, Teresa let it drop. Jane had only just been released from Intensive Care, who was she to get him upset?

"Ok, you win" she relented. Jane wisely kept a smart assed remark to himself. Then he perked up and levelled a 1000 watt smile at his boss.

"What are the chances of you getting me a really good cup of tea?" he asked, changing the subject.

Lisbon opened her large shoulder bag and pulled out a plastic baggie containing a variety of tea packets.

"I've had these in my purse just in case you got moved to a regular room. Tell me which one you want and I'll find a kettle and make you a fresh cup."

Jane's eyes lit up like a child's at Christmas. "Lisbon, you're one in a million. The Orange Pekoe will be a good start. Thank you!"

"Stay out of trouble until I get back, promise?" she said as she walked out of the room.

"Scout's honour" Jane grinned, crossing his fingers.

As soon as Teresa was out of sight, Jane collapsed back into his pillow in pain. His pump was gone and who knew when more pain medication would be offered. His chest was feeling tight and sending shards of pain into his neck and shoulders. The cracked and broken ribs were complaining as well from all of the movement he'd gone through this morning. Being fully awake was wonderful but now all of his pain sensors were lit up like the Fourth of July. A soft sheen of perspiration sat across his forehead from the effort of acting fine. He hoped Lisbon wouldn't notice.


	19. Changes and Liars

Thanks for hanging in and getting to the finish line with me. Just a couple of chapters to go and I'll be done.

Embers

Chapter 19

Changes and Liars

Ten minutes later Lisbon came back with a china mug filled with a steaming brew of tea, only to find Jane dozing in his bed. Setting his cup down, she pulled up a chair and decided to wait for him to awaken on his own. Before she had time to worry about his tea going cold, the door opened and a nurse came in holding a small paper cup with a blue pill in it.

"Mr. Jane...are you awake?" she said softly, not wanting to startle him.

Teresa spoke up. "He's temporarily deaf. He can lip read if you go slowly and keep it simple. I can wake him if you want?"

"Thanks. Yes, please wake him up, it's time for his pain pill."

Lisbon stood and gently shook Jane's shoulder, hovering over him so the first thing he would see was her face. He jolted awake, causing his ribs to scream in rebellion. Gazing around his room, he had to re-orient himself again to a new place.

"Your tea is ready, and it's time for a pain pill" Teresa mouthed, pointing to the nurse.

Jane accepted Lisbon's help sitting up and smiled at the nurse. No use pissing off the person who could help him overcome his aches and pains.

Jane hit the button to raise the head of his bed up and leaned into his pillow as the nurse gave him his pill. Instead of water he swallowed it with a mouthful of warm tea.

"Thank you, both of you. My angels" Jane said, employing every bit of charm he could muster under the circumstances. The nurse blushed, already disarmed by the incredibly handsome patient she was lucky enough to have in her care.

"Mr. Jane, if you become too uncomfortable with pain, just ring that buzzer by your hand and someone will come in and give you some medication. Don't try to ignore it, you need to be comfortable to get well" the nurse explained.

"Thank you...Vicky...I will" he smiled over his teacup.

With nothing more to do for her patient, Vicky turned and left Lisbon alone with Jane.

"You've still got it!" Lisbon laughed, glaring at him teasingly.

"Just wait until I can hear again, I'm only functioning at half strength right now" Jane said smugly.

"Spare me…" Lisbon smirked, happy to see her consultant attempting to be his old self. Every once in a while she did see him wince, particularly if he reached too far for his cup or a magazine. That pain pill had better start to work soon.

"So, how are the ears Jane?" she asked, looking directly at him.

Putting his cup down, Jane touched his left ear to feel the dressing covering his broken ear drum. He put his fingers up to his right ear and snapped them, to see if he heard the clicking sound up close. Very very faintly, he discerned a dull thud behind the ringing.

"Well?" Lisbon prodded him, watching with interest.

"Right ear is getting better. Still ringing but maybe I heard something...ask me again later today" Jane said cautiously.

"Excellent! Ummm...when do you think you'll be ready to tell us your side of the story with Virgil and Torrelli?" Lisbon asked, knowing Jane's testimony was vital to their case. His memories were only just becoming trustworthy after days of confusion.

Taking another long sip of his tea, Jane drained the cup and handed it to Lisbon. He was pretty sure he had most of his memories back, but pretty sure wasn't going to stand up in court. He had to be certain he remembered everything.

"Can you come back in the morning, maybe with Cho, and ask me then? Gives me the night to think and piece it all together. Maybe the ringing in my ear will be less annoying by then too" he suggested.

"Sure. I'll let Cho know. For now you should just rest, doctor's orders. Is there anything I can bring in with me next time I come?"

Jane and Lisbon had a long relaxed visit, discussing nothing of any importance, until she noticed him getting tired, even though he did his best to hide it. When he shifted position in bed he winced, betraying his sunny disposition. Lisbon checked her watch and wondered when his next pain pill was coming. Then she remembered.

"Jane, are you hurting?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Taking the buzzer in her hand she gave it to her consultant. "Ring for a nurse. Remember she told you to buzz when you needed another pain pill? Don't go too long without them otherwise you won't be able to get on top of your pain soon enough."

Jane hit the button and realized just how painful his chest was. He wouldn't make that mistake again. A few minutes later a nurse came in with his blue pill and watched him swallow it with more tea.

"I'm sorry Agent Lisbon, but now that Mr. Jane is on a regular nursing floor, you won't be able to come around every hour. Visiting hours haven't officially begun just yet, so…" the nurse said tactfully.

"Ok, sorry, didn't think...I'll go and let Mr. Jane rest" Lisbon apologized.

"Stay" Jane said when the nurse left them alone. "Don't pay attention to their silly rules. They don't apply to you."

"Jane, I have to go. I'll come back soon, with some SUDOKU puzzles and books for you to read while you get stronger. We can't afford to annoy the staff. Something you should keep in mind by the way!"

Jane sighed in frustration, but he had to admit he was starting to fade. Lisbon hung around a bit longer, until Patrick was comfortable and sleeping again. She decided to leave him to rest. She had a lot of work to do.

(Sacramento Hospital - Next Morning)

Teresa stopped in to meet up with her team at the office before she went back to the hospital to see Jane, this time with Cho coming along to take Jane's testimony. After she had left the night before, Jane was encouraged to get out of his bed for the first time since he was shot. Even with a pain pill in his system he was in a great deal of pain as his muscles and soft tissues screamed to be left alone.

Being forced out of bed to walk around made Jane miserable, but he knew he had to keep moving to prevent other medical issues, so he made the effort, if only to get the nurses off his back. The first time, it was enough to swing his legs over the side of the bed and stand, with help from two nurses. When they came back an hour later, he managed to walk to his door and back again, with assistance. An hour later, he was told to get up again, but this time he walked all the way to his small bathroom, and finally was able to take care of business all by himself. Three trips out of bed exhausted him so when he finally settled down for the night with another pain pill, he slept extremely well.

When the morning came and he realized he had stayed asleep for the whole night, he marveled at this turning point. Jane managed a trip to the bathroom by himself, and while he was there he washed his face and combed his hair, scrubbing his teeth better than he had done in many days and felt like a new man when he was done. Just before he opened the bathroom door the nurse came in with his breakfast and was surprised to see his bed empty.

"Mr. Jane? Are you in the bathroom?" she called, knocking on the door.

Jane quickly dried his hands and called back, "Yes, I'm just getting cleaned up, be right out!"

When he stepped out and gingerly made his way across the room, the nurse was beaming, a huge smile breaking her usually serious face.

"Congratulations!" she said.

Jane slid back into bed and pulled his bed table closer so he could eat his breakfast.

"Congratulations for what? Going to the bathroom like a grown up?"

"No...for getting some of your hearing back!" the nurse laughed, seeing that Jane had totally missed this milestone.

He put his hand up to his right ear and snapped his fingers - click! A bright smile rewarded the nurse for her attentiveness. He could hear out of his right ear again - no more ringing!

"I did, didn't I? I heard you right through the bathroom door!" he said in amazement.

"And soon you'll hear out of your left ear again, so this is a good day" the nurse said, happy for her patient. "Enjoy your breakfast Mr. Jane!"

Patrick waited until the nurse left, then snapped his fingers again just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Yup, he could hear again.

While Jane got busy eating his breakfast, marvelling that all of a sudden he could hear again in his right ear, downstairs a black Lexus was pulling up to the curb in front of the main entrance to the hospital. Mayor Torrelli stepped out, followed by a photographer and a female assistant. His visit to the CBI a few days earlier had rattled the Mayor, upsetting his sense of invincibility. Agent Cho had said the financial's from City Hall would be inspected for inaccuracies and misspending. Now that Torrelli had gotten over his shock, he was determined to resume his press tour to make himself out to be the hero in this attack, all the while casting doubt on the investigative prowess of the CBI. With luck and some good PR, he would also see that Agents Lisbon, Cho and that annoying Consultant, Patrick Jane, were discredited and fired.

He made his way upstairs, smiling and signing autographs along the way, until he arrived at Jane's floor. While it wasn't technically visiting hours, the nurses on duty couldn't refuse to let the Mayor in to visit the man so badly injured in the attack on City Hall. Now that he had permission to visit Jane, the Mayor walked towards his room with his entourage following close behind. Straightening his jacket and smoothing his hair, the Mayor knocked on the door and let himself in, believing Jane wouldn't hear the knock anyway.

Jane was resting when he heard the knock on his door. It was too early for Lisbon and Cho, the nurse had just left him minutes earlier, so he was curious to see who would knock at this hour of the morning. When Jane didn't answer, Mayor Torrelli stepped inside the room, followed closely by his photographer and assistant. Jane lay against his raised pillow with his eyes closed, waiting to see what was going to happen. No one knew yet that he could hear, only his nurses. Cracking an eye open, he spied the rotund man step into the room and walk towards his bed. Eyes shut again, he feigned sleep. Torrelli walked over to his bed and signalled for the photographer to snap a photo of the slumbering man while Torrelli stood gazing out of Jane's window. Jane, with his mane of golden curls splayed out against his pillow, and a bandage covering his ear, made a very sympathetic image of an injured victim. Torrelli would use that photo to benefit himself personally.

Patrick heard the shutter of the camera click and felt his anger rising. This asshole had no right to take his photo, not when he was supposedly sick and asleep. Pretending to be awake now, Jane wiped his face with his hands and opened his eyes, glaring at Torrelli.

"Ah Mr. Jane! So nice to see you awake and looking so well! I've been meaning to drop by and check up on you but I've been very busy of late" the Mayor babbled, reaching out to shake Jane's hand while the photographer snapped another photo. Jane pulled his hand away and scowled.

The Mayor exaggerated his speech, going slowly, assuming Jane was still deaf. Turning to his assistant, he spoke freely.

"I want you to get everything on film, we can edit it later to make me look my best, got that? Record my conversation with this guy but don't worry about how long it goes, I'll cut it down to just the good parts. This guy is sick and deaf and probably confused, so don't pay much attention to whatever he says. I'm the one you need to focus on - got that?" he said again.

"Yes Sir" the young woman said, nodding and making sure her video camera was ready to capture the meeting between the brave Mayor and the broken, frightened CBI consultant. The photographer stepped aside and checked his pictures while the Mayor turned back to an extremely annoyed Jane, who heard it all.

The video camera started to record. Torrelli stepped over to Jane's bedside and leaned over, smiling with concern.

"Now I know you cannot hear me Mr. Jane, but let me assure you that you are in good hands. When I diffused the situation in my office it pained me to know you might die before we could get you out of there. I for one am relieved to know you will, in time, make a full recovery. Sorry if I'm talking too much...I know it's hard for you to understand" the Mayor said condescendingly.

"This is good, really good!" the assistant chirped over the top of the video camera.

"How are you feeling Mr. Jane?" the Mayor asked.

Jane played dumb, nodding his head to show he understood the Mayor's question. "Fine Sir."

"Good...good. So glad to hear it. Now tell me, do you remember much about the attack at City Hall? What happened after you got shot?" the Mayor asked, hoping Jane had no memories from that point onwards.

Jane had spent a great deal of time while he was in the hospital fitting bits and pieces of his memories into place, until the puzzle of Virgil's last minutes of life made sense. Jane remembered everything now, even how he had talked the Mayor off the ledge and then pulled him down onto the balcony floor to save his life yet again. As he lay there with the Mayor's bulky body on top of his, he heard the assault on the office, saw black garbed SWAT agents fly down the side of the building and break through the wall of glass to kill Virgil. What he had forgotten right after the incident, he clearly remembered now. But Torrelli didn't know that.

"You tell me" Jane said cagily, hoping the Mayor would lie, and do it on video for all to see.

Torrelli smiled deeply. Obviously Mr. Jane had been knocked senseless and didn't remember anything. Good. What he didn't know he couldn't dispute! Feeling emboldened, Torrelli faced the video camera and looked serious.

"As you can see, this CBI agent has no recollection of the horrors of that terrible day, a day that could have seen the end of our City Hall as we know it, the end of this man's life, and I dare say, the end of my life as well. Thank God, I was able to avert those unimaginable outcomes. You know…(Torrelli now spoke in a low, soothing voice, looking directly at the camera)...you don't ever train for situations like this. You never think such a terrible thing will happen to you, but when it does, you pray you'll know what to do. I thank God every day that somehow, I knew what to do to save both myself and poor Mr. Jane here. Someone had to take control and that's what I did."

It took every bit of control that Jane possessed not to laugh out loud at Torrelli's lies about that attack. He had been a cry baby during the whole thing. The Mayor continued.

"Virgil Murdock was a lunatic, I don't think anyone would argue that point, but he was also depraved, delusional and a murderer. I was able to keep him away from Mr. Jane. I think that saved this man's life, possibly. Virgil was intent on killing Mr. Jane so I had to distract him. The bomber was seeking his own kind of glory, for whatever reason, we'll probably never know, and to attain that, he chose to attack me, in the sanctity of my office in City Hall. Mr. Jane here unfortunately, was tricked into getting Virgil into my office. Doing that endangered dozens of people in and around the building. When he is well enough I will take that up with his superior officers to see if I can prevent him from suffering from that terrible lack of judgement. For now, it is enough that we all survived and will live to carry on important work for the City of Sacramento."

Jane listened to the Mayor with bemused disgust. The man had no shame, no scruples, and was willing to make Jane look weak, ineffectual and the bad guy for getting Virgil into City Hall. It was time to shut this travesty down.

Torrelli continued, hardly looking at Jane now, so enraptured by his own story and fame that he didn't take into account that one day Jane just might make his story public too.

"Now I don't want to tire Mr. Jane out. I think the whole city is wishing him a speedy recovery. I will be back at work just as soon as my office is ready again for business" the Mayor said, then he turned to face Jane.

"I can see that you're getting tired Mr. Jane, so I won't take up anymore of your time. Thank you for your input. Get well soon and God Bless you" he said beatifically. Torrelli then stepped away from the bed and began to walk across the room. Before he reached the door, Jane called out to him.

"Just a moment Mr. Mayor."


	20. Smile for the Camera

The next chapter was ready to go and I had such a lot of fun writing it, I couldn't wait to publish it! Almost done, but not just yet. Enjoy!

Embers

Chapter 20

Smile for the Camera

The video camera was still recording. Torrelli stopped and turned to see what the injured and confused man wanted to say to him.

"I really must be going. What do you want Mr. Jane?"

"Did I give you permission to take my photograph while I was asleep?"

Torrelli looked sheepish having been caught doing such an indiscreet thing. "What photos are you referring to Mr. Jane? I think you're confused."

"That was a 'yes or no' question Torrelli. The correct answer is 'no - I did not get your permission to take your photo'. Delete them now!"

"You were sleeping. How could you possibly know if I took your picture? Perhaps you were dreaming" Torrelli said in a soothing tone of voice. "You're ill Mr. Jane, don't get yourself worked up over some imagined event." The Mayor took another step towards the door, annoyed to be questioned like this in front of his companions. Jane was sitting up, angry and in no mood for bullshit.

"Cut the crap Torrelli. _You_ \- delete those photos or I will sue you for everything you've got" Jane directed the photographer, who looked to the Mayor for guidance.

"Sir?"

The Mayor looked pissed off to have been exposed by Jane. He went over to the photographer and made a loud show of telling him to delete the photos, but whispered for him to keep them nonetheless. The photographer pretended to delete the pictures and and signalled to Jane that it was done. Jane was not fooled. Torrelli was just setting another trap for himself.

"Now come back here and tell the world what really happened in your office. You do, or I will" Jane ordered Torrelli. "And by the way, my memory is just fine. Let's see if your recollections are the same as mine. Keep filming!" Jane barked at the young woman as she attempted to turn off the video camera.

The Mayor hesitated, not wanting to go toe to toe with this man, whose intelligence far outstripped his own.

"Really Mr. Jane, this is embarrassing for you. I wouldn't stoop to take advantage of a man so badly injured and suffering from a concussion. When you're thinking straight again you'll thank me for not pursuing this line of inquiry" he said loftily, trying to look like the better man.

"Or you just don't want the citizens of Sacramento to find out just what went on in your office when Virgil Murdock exposed your financial misdeeds. You're the one who's going to be embarrassed Torrelli!"

"Now see here Mr. Jane! I will sue you for defamation of character!" Torrelli yelled as the door was flung open with a bang and Cho came in with Lisbon. She stopped short when she saw the group in there with cameras.

"What is all this? Mayor Torrelli, why are you here with these people?" Lisbon asked, surprised to see so many people in Jane's room when he was supposed to be resting.

"Lisbon, glad to see you. Cho, nice to see you too. The Mayor here is making a promotional video with me as his goat. Took unauthorized photos of me sleeping and video of me without my permission."

"I did no such thing. Unfortunately Mr. Jane is having a hard time remembering what's going on, not surprising considering his injuries. I just dropped by to wish him well."

"Aren't you leaving out some details? Show Agent Lisbon your videotape" Jane urged him.

Torrelli needed that tape to prove that the consultant's memory was full of holes. Whatever the Mayor said had to be taken as the gospel truth.

"Really, your consultant is delirious. My assistant is filming me as I go about my day for a news conference later. We do this all the time."

"Show her!"

"Mr. Jane, really, you must rest and not get yourself so worked up. You'll have a set back. Should I call a doctor to give you something for your nerves?" the Mayor said boldly.

Cho stepped up to the Mayor, his stance menacing. "Is this true? Did you get permission for this visit from Mr. Jane, or from his doctor for that matter?"

Torrelli was intimidated by Cho, in fact the intense man scared the shit out of him. He stuttered his reply, his nerves betraying him.

"I...I...he was sleeping...I just came by to wish him a speedy recovery….took a photo for my own use...no harm done" Torrelli blabbered.

"So Jane's telling the truth, no permission."

Jane spoke up again. "You also blamed me for Virgil's attack and insinuated that I was going to lose my job unless you intervened. You're still playing the hero and your cape is getting mighty muddy" Jane sniffed in annoyance.

"That is profoundly disturbing, and against the law!" Lisbon barked, still not realizing Jane could hear everything. "Give me that video camera!"

"It's mine, to do with as I please!" the Mayor shouted, getting angry with the Agents.

"It was yours. Now it's evidence" Cho said, taking the video camera out of the young woman's hand.

"Evidence of what? Me trying to pay my respects to a wounded officer of the law?" Torrelli shouted.

"Evidence of lying, evidence of a cover up. Evidence that you're a horse's ass" Jane mocked Torrelli before Lisbon shushed him. Jane squinted mockingly at the Mayor but enjoyed seeing Lisbon so riled up on his behalf.

"Lisbon, look at his camera. Check out the photos he took of me without my permission. He's lying about that as well" Jane said, miffed and ready to leap out of bed to rip the camera out of the young man's hands.

Lisbon marched up to the young, ashen faced man, and held out her hand.

"Give it to me." He hesitated, looking at the Mayor for direction.

"NOW!" Lisbon barked.

The photographer thrust the camera into her hand and stepped back away from the furious CBI Agent.

Lisbon clicked through the photos until she found those of Jane reclining in his bed, eyes closed, apparently asleep.

"Can I have the camera back if I delete those photos?" the young man asked sheepishly.

"NO!"

He blanched and looked as if he was going to throw up. The Mayor was of no use to him, unwilling as he was to help him out with the agents.

Teresa stepped up to the Mayor and waved the camera in his face.

"How dare you? This is all kinds of screwed up. Cho? How many laws has the Mayor broken since he got into the hospital this morning?" Lisbon asked her second-in-command.

"At least three, maybe more...give me time" Cho answered dispassionately, eying the Mayor with distaste.

"I thought your visit to the CBI would have made a bigger impression on you Mayor Torrelli. You can tell lies to the media all day long, but when the investigation is complete, you'll be telling your story before a judge. I would advise you to stay away from Mr. Jane, and to stop talking to the press, for your sake. I will leave it up to Mr. Jane to decide if he wants to press charges against you" Lisbon warned him.

Jane leaned back against his pillows, delighted with the circus going on mere feet from his bed.

Torrelli was angry now, filled with self-righteous importance.

"This is ridiculous. You're over-reaching your authority Agent Lisbon and don't think I won't discuss this with Madeleine Hightower when it's time to discuss renewed funding for the Serious Crimes Unit!"

"Are you threatening me?" Lisbon said, getting face to face with the bellicose man. "That sounded like intimidation."

"Not a threat so much as a prediction. Keep up this harassment and things will go badly for you. Enjoy your authority while you can Agent Lisbon, you as well" Torrelli said to Cho and Jane. "When this is over, you'll be lucky to find work as a school crossing guard somewhere in New Mexico!"

"Out!" Lisbon seethed, keeping her voice in check. "Get out before I have Security remove you and your minions. And don't come back. If I see you anywhere near Mr. Jane I will have you arrested for trespassing and criminal harassment. Understand?"

"I understand perfectly. Come on!" Torrelli barked at his people, pulling the door open to get out of that room as quickly as he could. When he was gone, Cho broke out in a smile and high-fived Lisbon.

"That was fun" he grinned, then walked over to Jane to shake his hand.

"You OK?"

"Never better!" Jane grinned, happy with the excitement so early in his day.

"How the hell did Torrelli get in here anyway?" Lisbon asked, angry and protective of her friend Jane.

"He's the Mayor. Some people find that impressive" Jane said, patting the side of the bed for Lisbon to sit down. Cho got comfortable in the side chair.

"What did he really want Jane?" Lisbon asked.

"Oh the usual...he wanted me to look feeble and unstable. Wants to discredit any testimony I give in an upcoming trial. I think it shows how scared he is of you Cho. You really rattled his cage."

"I didn't do anything. If Torrelli thinks that was bad, he's in for a rude awakening."

"So why did he need to videotape you?" Lisbon asked.

"Video of me half asleep and unable to answer questions would make me seem mentally unfit to testify in court about what happened in City Hall between Virgil and the Mayor. No matter what I said or didn't say, he would have edited the videotape to suit himself. I heard him say so" Jane said casually.

"He's a pompous ass with too much power" Lisbon said as she looked down into her shoulder bag for her phone.

"He certainly is" Jane laughed, reaching for his now cool tea. Lisbon's head snapped up. She hadn't been looking at Jane….how did he know what she said?

"Jane? Did you hear what I said about Torrelli?"

"The bit about him being a pompous ass or him having too much power?"

Lisbon and Cho stood up and looked amazed.

"Can you?"

"Yup! As of this morning - right ear is functional again. Still waiting for ear number two to wake up" Jane grinned, happy to surprise his friends with good news.

Cho extended his hand again. "Congratulations man! Good news!"

"This is wonderful news! When were you going to tell us?" Lisbon asked with amazement.

"Well if Torrelli hadn't come in and stolen my thunder I was going to tell you this morning. Better late than never" Jane smiled, thrilled to have at least half of his hearing back again. "Does that mean I can go home now?"

"NO!" both Cho and Lisbon said in unison.

Jane scowled and looked disappointed. "You don't have to shout!"


	21. Restless

Ok, here we go, the second to last chapter. Thank you so much for your kind reviews, your thoughts and comments keep me going. This isn't the end, there is one more chapter after this one!

Embers

Chapter 21

Restless

Jane pretended to look offended when his friends told him in no uncertain terms he wasn't ready to go home just yet. But secretly he knew they were right, at least for today.

"You still have a lot of healing to do, mostly from that bullet wound, and your ribs are still pretty tender. Once you can move around without being in so much pain, I'm sure the doctor will consider discharging you. Not one minute sooner" Lisbon said in her best motherly voice.

"This is a conspiracy against me" Jane groused.

"Yes it is, get used to it" Cho said, looking at a message on his phone. "Boss? I gotta go and meet up with Rigs and Van Pelt. I want to see what's on this camera too. I'll be right back to take Jane's statement. See you later?"

"Sure, thanks Cho. See you later."

Cho said goodbye to Jane and slipped out to let Jane and Lisbon have a private visit.

When the door closed, Jane relaxed and watched Teresa get settled in the now empty chair. He liked it much better when she sat on his bed, close to his hip.

"So now what?" he asked her. "Since you're intent upon keeping me incarcerated here as long as possible."

"Hey, it's not my choice Jane. And the last time you were in here you got out much too soon. So just get used to the idea that this time, you stay until you're really well enough to be released. If you can't manage on your own, you can come and stay with me again for a short while."

"This is getting to be a regular event. What will the neighbours think?"

"Oh hush you!" Lisbon snarked, but was pleased Jane didn't push back against her suggestion that he stay with her for a while. "So, how are you feeling today?"

"As long as I get my pain pills on time I can't complain. I was up walking three times last night, and got up on my own this morning for a wash, so that's a big step."

"Congratulations! Feel like going for a walk with me?" Lisbon suggested. "We can stop at the kitchenette on the way back and make a fresh cup of tea" she bribed him, waving the plastic baggie filled with tea bags.

Jane looked like he had to make a big decision, but a moment later he swung his legs out over the edge of the bed and stood up. He was wearing his favourite blue pajamas and Lisbon handed him a robe for extra coverage.

"You know, I've seen you in your pajamas more than anybody else I know, outside of family" she teased him.

"Don't get spoiled" Jane smirked, reaching for her shoulder for support. They walked out together, going past the nurses at their station and slowly made their way around the floor. On the way back, they stopped so Lisbon could make him his tea and got back to his room as his energy started to flag.

Once settled in bed, Jane drank his tea and Lisbon called Cho to check up on what he had found on the video camera. It was as bad as she had suspected.

"Cho says he'll be back in 15 minutes. Are you good for giving him your statement Jane?"

"Sure. We'll see how it compares to Torrelli's version of events."

Soon Cho was back at the hospital to interview Jane, this time without interruptions. Lisbon left them alone to work together without a third person getting in the way.

"See you later Jane!"

"Bye Lisbon. Oh, and when you come back, can you bring me some blueberry muffins?"

Some things never changed.

Cho sat with Jane and gave him all the time he needed to explain exactly what happened when he came down the stairs at Lisbon's apartment and found her unconscious and tied to her kitchen chair. Jane explained how he had to draw Virgil outside and away from Lisbon because he was going to shoot her. Then the events at City Hall were explained, from Jane's perspective. Cho asked all of the necessary questions, but had to admit he got furious when Jane described his final moments before Virgil shot him.

"Why did he do it Jane? You were useful to him but he shot you anyway?"

Jane didn't answer for a while. He could see it all playing out in his mind, from the first moment he and Virgil walked into the Mayor's office, until the last, when Virgil announced Jane had outlived his usefulness. Cho waited, seeing Jane's need to sort out his emotions before attempting an answer. Jane looked at his hands and fidgeted in his bed, remembering how he felt in that moment, knowing he would, in all probability, not survive his encounter with Virgil Murdock. After everything he'd gone through in his search for Red John, he was going to die in that stuffy, ornate office at the hands of a lunatic. It had all come to this, a pointless and futile death that would end his search for the man who killed his family. It was all for nothing after all.

"I was useful to him, but only to get us inside the Mayor's office. What did he need me for then? His ultimate target was Torrelli, so he...shot me."

Cho stopped recording the conversation for a moment and leaned back in his chair, ill at ease at having to make his friend go through this again, necessary as his testimony was.

"I'm sorry Jane."

Nodding, Jane shrugged and looked his friend in the eyes. "Thanks Cho. I did everything I could think of to save Lisbon, the Mayor and myself. Two out of three wouldn't have been so bad…" he said softly, remembering his panic, feeling his heart rate speed up as the gun lifted to find its target. He was going to die without avenging Angela and Charlotte, that was the worst of it, not the dying. Anyone can die, but he had too much to accomplish yet, to just die so pointlessly on that thick beige carpeting.

"Jane….only Virgil died...you got three out of three. Maybe I should have you buy my lottery tickets from now on" Cho said to break the sudden bleak turn in the conversation.

Jane shook his head and smiled at Cho. "I guess you're right. Three out of three…"

Cho turned his recorder on again. "Do you have any recollections about what happened after you were shot? Were you awake at all?"

Jane explained how he was stunned for some minutes immediately after being shot, but then he gradually became more awake and knew he just might live if he could get out of there soon enough. As much as he could remember he told Cho about Virgil making Torrelli call the Maintenance department to change the schedule to make improvements where they were really needed. Then came Jane's attempt to grab the bomb, which was doomed to fail in his fragile condition.

"That took some balls Jane!"

"Well, what did I have to lose at that point? It did give me the chance to signal to the SWAT team to attack, so it wasn't a total failure. And it worked! I wasn't sure my …" Jane waved his hands in the air simulating his communication with the SWAT agent on the roof across the street, "was going to be understood."

"It was and you saved Torrelli. You and Wayne. Only the bad guy died and I can live with that" Cho said simply, turning off his recorder. Jane nodded in agreement, but was distracted when his door opened.

"How are you doing Mr. Jane?" nurse Vicky Smith asked, coming into the room with his pain pill.

Cho stood up, feeling like he was now in the way. "I should go and get your statement entered. Thanks Jane. Get well soon."

"I plan on it, thanks Cho."

Vicky waited until Cho left the room then poured Jane some water to swallow the pill.

"I understand from some of the other nurses that you had a bit of excitement here this morning."

Jane downed his pill and grinned at his attractive young nurse. "Mayor Torrelli dropped in for a PR visit, but it didn't go very well for him. Agent Lisbon threw him and his people out. It was fun!"

"I'll bet. We don't get that kind of excitement here very often" she laughed. Then she took Jane's pulse, listened to his heart, checked his eyes and examined the cut on his forehead. The stitches had come out days ago, and his wound was healing very nicely. "I don't think you'll have much of a scar in the future" Vicky mumbled, going about her work methodically. Jane just let her do her thing and was pleased to hear that at least his face wouldn't bear the marks of Virgil's wrath. When she was done her routine examination of her patient, Vicky straightened his bedding and made some notes on her Ipad.

"Try to have a less crazy afternoon, OK Mr. Jane?" she smiled as she made her way over to the door. "We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you now!"

Jane watched her go and let her words sink in. Odd considering what he'd already been through. Torrelli was no big threat, not after Virgil Murdock.

Time spent in the hospital was an interminable bore, so Lisbon came as often as she could to play board games and poker with her annoyed consultant. His level of crankiness indicated he was indeed almost ready to get out of there. Lisbon decided it was time to talk about his imminent release from the hospital and where he would go once he was no longer a patient.

"Really, I'm fine, I can go back to my place" Jane whined the next morning, already feeling like a burden to Lisbon and his friends.

"I don't think so Jane. Your place is on the second floor of that motel, and there is no elevator. Are you really up to climbing those steps yet?" Lisbon argued.

"You're looking for issues."

"No, no I'm not. What about doing laundry? Who's going to do that for you now? And food, are you really going to get up and go find a diner three times a day in your condition?"

"You make me sound like an invalid Lisbon. I _can_ walk you know."

"Look Jane, the sooner you get completely well, the sooner you can come back to work. Stay at my place once you're out of here where I know you're sleeping well and eating well, resting and not overdoing it, then we can discuss you coming back to the job. Take it or leave it" she said seriously. The man was impossible!

Jane sighed dramatically, having put up enough resistance to keep his pride, then he relented, (gratefully), and agreed to go home to Lisbon's apartment, again.

That afternoon, Jane was visited by his doctor and finally got the news he had been waiting for, he could go home in the morning! It had been a long boring stretch in the hospital, well over a week since he was shot, and he was totally fed up with his confinement.

"Now Mr. Jane, you'll need someone to stay with you to prevent you from overdoing things for the first little while. Your stitches are healing well, and your ribs are settling down, so we don't want to do anything to aggravate them."

"I plan on staying with a friend" Jane said cryptically. "I won't have to lift a finger."

"Good, good. Your eardrum is coming along nicely I see...give it a bit more time and your hearing will return fully in a few more weeks."

"Can't wait."

"Do you have any questions for me Mr. Jane?"

"No, nothing. Thank you for everything."

"Just try to stay away from here, OK?" the doctor laughed before heading for the door. "I'll sign you out in the morning and then you can go. All the best Mr. Jane."

"Thank you"

Jane grinned from ear to ear, delighted to finally be free, well, at least in a few hours. He reached for his phone to give Lisbon the news.

By the time he had finished his breakfast the next morning, Teresa was on her way over to the hospital to pick him up. After last minute instructions from the doctor along with a prescription for pain medication, Jane was finally, no longer a patient. He just had to wait until his ride showed up. His chest hurt far less now, outright pain replaced by a feeling of tightness where the stitches pulled, and his ribs, though very tender, were healing nicely. Jane took a quick shower and fussed over his hair, trying to tame it without any of the product he usually used to get it to behave. He needed to shave, but decided that could wait until he got back to his guest bathroom. Leaning forward, he examined his face. He was paler than usual, and thinner, both the consequence of being ill and inside for so long. He'd have to remedy that by sitting in the sun as much as possible while he recuperated at Lisbon's place. He examined the scar on his forehead from the blow he sustained when he got caught in the bomb blast at the CBI. It looked very pink along the suture line, but it was nice and flat, and soon would fade away to almost nothing. Jane wasn't overtly vain, but he did care about his appearance, a hold over from a lifetime in show business of one sort or another. Deciding he was looking as good as possible under the circumstances, he got himself dressed, then sat waiting for Lisbon to show up.

Ten minutes later, Lisbon was there, with a hot tea and muffin to make his trip home even better. He spent the trip in the car with his face turned up towards the sun, eyes closed, breathing in the fresh air through a partially open window. Lisbon left him to his thoughts, but couldn't help think that he was like a puppy, thrilled to be going on a car ride, hair blowing in the wind, sniffing the air in joyous abandon. The idea of it made her smile, but she wisely said nothing. Jane ate his muffin like a man who'd been starving for a long time. He really was a creature of habit.

Upon arrival at her apartment, he stood and gazed around her small living room, seeing if it had changed, then strolled into the kitchen, all signs of Virgil's presence removed. He imagined how hard it must have been for Lisbon to return here, alone, right after Virgil had attacked her. Lisbon stood and watched him, knowing what was going on in that big brain of his, but she said nothing. Jane had to go through his process, on his own time and schedule, so she waited until he turned and smiled.

"Thank you, again, for taking me in" he said simply.

"You'd do the same for me."

"I would, but hopefully I won't ever have to worry about you like that" he said, then headed upstairs slowly. He got his things settled once again in her guest room, then he came downstairs to watch Lisbon fuss around in her kitchen, getting a lunch ready for him when he was hungry later.

"You're such a mother" he smiled, watching her work.

"You won't be saying that when I start pushing you around to take a walk and do your exercises" she grinned, secretly pleased with the compliment. "Let me show you what I have here to keep you busy while I'm at work."

Lisbon had thoughtfully brought a pile of books home from the library to occupy his mind, and that, coupled with SUDOKU games and board games to be played after hours with the team, would help make the time fly by. During his first week at Lisbon's apartment Jane gradually built up his strength, going for longer and longer walks in the warm weather, gradually getting his healthy colour back. By the end of the second week, Lisbon had to agree that Jane was well enough to return to work, but only to consult, not to do anything that could damage his rapidly healing left ear drum. Eventually it was clear that Jane didn't need to be cared for anymore, and so Lisbon agreed it was time he moved out to live on his own again.

Jane's first day back at the newly renovated CBI office was a cause for celebration. Being away from his friends and the day to day operation of the office had showed Jane just how much he cared for these people. He spent most of that first morning reclining on his leather sofa, which had been cleaned and oiled after the explosion, glad to listen to the white noise of business as usual. Then he surprised the staff by ordering in a huge buffet, complete with a cake, to officially signal that he was back. Day by day, his ribs healed and so did his ear drum. It was a gradual process, but one day he realized he was fully operational again, with two working eardrums!

Cho came into the office one morning carrying a large package and a bag of donuts, and called everyone to gather around his desk. He reached into a manila folder and pulled out a very thick, dirty and smoke damaged photo album. In the middle of the cover and all the way through, there was a hole surrounded by gunpowder. Jane eyed the album with a mixture of elation and dread. It signified his close brush with death.

"Is this yours Boss?" Cho said with a smirk as he handed it over to Lisbon.

Lisbon took the album and opened it to see her old high school photos and pictures of her college days. Then the realization hit her that this is what Jane had grabbed that day at her apartment to placate Virgil.

"Jane said he was going to take an album of mine with him to fool the Mayor into thinking it was his file...he wasn't kidding!" Lisbon said in shock. "This might have saved your life Jane!" she said, seeing Jane's subdued reaction.

"It was found on the floor next to a pool of Jane's blood, so you might be right" Wayne told her.

"Great photos by the way" Cho said with a straight face.

Lisbon peeked inside again and groaned with embarrassment. "Oh God, please say you didn't all look at this!"

"Sure did Boss!" Grace grinned, enjoying seeing Lisbon's horrified face.

Sighing with resignation, Lisbon threw the album onto an empty desk. "I have no secrets anymore apparently."

"Looks like your college days were fun" Cho smirked, carefully taking a donut out of the bag. "That's evidence by the way" he added.

Lisbon buried her face in her hands. "Leave it to you to do this to me!" she groaned as Jane picked the album up and made a show of looking at her photographs with shock while her team dissolved in laughter. Seeing the ridiculousness of the situation, Lisbon had to laugh too, because she was just happy that her album had saved his life.


	22. Hello My Friend

Last chapter! Thank you to everyone who read this story and made comments. Let's keep this fandom alive - please write your own stories! Bye for now...

Embers

Chapter 22

Hello My Friend

Weeks after the attack on the Mayor, the investigation into Torrelli's term as Mayor had uncovered much unlawful activity on his part. Cho and the Financial Fraud squad had been building a case these weeks as the Virgil Murdock case wound down. While there would be no court case for Virgil, the same could not be said for the Mayor, he just didn't know it yet.

For a few weeks Mayor Torrelli basked in the glow of television cameras and happily sat through interview after interview, detailing his harrowing encounter with the crazed madman Virgil Murdock. He took pains to explain how he kept his cool, never wavering in his faith that he would emerge victorious. He casually mentioned that another man had been with him in his chambers but that he had proved to be ineffectual and a burden while Torrelli bargained with Virgil for their lives. Patrick Jane laughed at that when he saw it on the news one day at the office.

"How much longer is that bloviating fool going to dig himself into a hole?" Lisbon commented as she walked through the bullpen, sick of seeing the Mayor's self-congratulatory press tour.

"I think his 15 minutes of fame is coming to a close" Cho said, walking in with a sheaf of papers in his hand.

"Do tell" Jane grinned, having waited for this moment since he got out of the hospital.

"All of the reports from our investigation have been filed, but some of what we uncovered is going to be pretty damaging to the Mayor. This is an election year for him and most of his Councillors. When proof of his mismanagement of City funds hits the press, he'll be going down. Thousands and thousands of dollars allocated to the upkeep of parks and facilities in the poorer parts of the city were never spent on those locations, instead the money went to fund projects lobbyists brought to Torrelli. In return for Council voting their way, they reaped the benefits in building contracts, paving projects, you name it. Torrelli and his merry band had their fingerprints all over it" Cho explained.

"That's not all" Van Pelt said, changing channels on the TV. "SWAT has released their videos showing the assault on City Hall. While the Mayor has been going on his victory tour, telling everyone how he rescued Jane from certain death, the actual film of Jane signalling the SWAT team to start their attack has surfaced. The marksmen on the roof across the street got it all on film. The best part is Torrelli up on the ledge saying his Hail Mary's while Jane tried to talk him down to safety. Cameras got Jane grabbing Torrelli and pulling him down before SWAT shot out the windows and the assault began" Grace smirked, finding a 24 hour news channel. She was just happy that the pompous ass would be revealed as the liar and coward that he was.

"Ummm..did I show up in those videos?" Rigsby asked, watching the TV intently.

"As a matter of fact you did, and you looked pretty damned badass" Cho said. "SWAT got a close up of you yelling at the Mayor and making him run inside to unlock the safe so you could put the bomb inside. The best part was you holding up the bomb in the Mayor's face. Priceless!"

A round of applause from his teammates had Rigsby blushing with pride.

"Thanks guys. It was Jane who got the whole thing rolling. Without his countdown, who knows how it would have turned out" Rigsby was man enough to admit.

Jane grinned from ear to ear, taking a small bow before Lisbon whacked him across the arm and told him not to get a fat head.

"Don't encourage him, his ego hardly fits in here as it is" Lisbon warned her staff.

"You wound me" Jane scowled, but grinned a moment later. God he was glad to be back, in good health and with his hearing intact.

As all eyes turned to the TV again, a breaking news story flashed across the screen, showing the actual SWAT footage of the assault, frame by frame tearing down the lies the Mayor had told his rapt audiences for weeks. He was shown cowering in fear and being generally useless. It only took a few hours, but he went from being a hero to a laughing stock, all because of the SWAT videos.

Two days later, Torrelli was in handcuffs, being led into a courtroom to hear the charges against him, multiple criminal charges stemming from his misuse of public funds and fraud while serving as Mayor. He'd be moved to a prison close to Sacramento to await his trial. It was the ultimate downfall for someone who had risen so high, so quickly.

Several days after Torrelli's arrest, Jane came into work to find a small box sitting on the desk he almost never used. The box was black, with a bright red ribbon tied around it, an envelope leaning against it. A cautious tingle ran through his body as Jane quickly looked around the bullpen to see if one of his colleagues had put it there and wanted to surprise him. Cho was on the phone, ignoring him, Wayne and Van Pelt were in the kitchen, and Lisbon was in her office, filling out reports. No one seemed to be watching him surreptitiously, so Jane picked up the box and gave it a shake. A small thud rattled inside the box. He was intrigued.

Jane eyed the box and the envelope, wondering which to open first. Choosing the box, he looked up as Lisbon came out of her office and walked over to him, surprised to see him actually using his desk.

"Turning over a new leaf Jane?" she teased, but he ignored her and pulled the red ribbon open, sliding it off the shiny black box. He glanced up at her then opened the lid, peering inside the small space. The look on his face frightened Lisbon. With two fingers, he reached into the box and pulled out a gold and white name tag.

 **Vicky Smith, R.N.**

A feeling of icy dread ran up his spine as he picked up the envelope.

"Jane? What is it? What's wrong?" Lisbon asked, seeing his naturally tanned complexion turn pale.

Jane shoved the pin over to her as he started rip into the envelope to open it. A thick white piece of folded paper was inside. Jane took the letter out and unfolded it, reading, then dropped it on the table and just stared down at it, in silence.

"Jane?"

"It's him."

Lisbon put aside the nurse's pin and picked up the letter. Written in red ink, it said…

Patrick, I'm so glad to see that you've made a full recovery, thanks to my dear friend, Vicky. She's a wonderful nurse, don't you think Patrick? Virgil Murdock had no right taking you and shooting you and for that I am glad he paid the ultimate price for his arrogance. As for Torrelli, he will have to pay his pound of flesh as well. No one touches you, no one but me. After all, we haven't finished playing yet, have we my friend?

Enjoy your renewed good health.

Until we meet again.

Under the last line was the red smiley face so familiar to Patrick.

"Oh God…" Lisbon said softly. Then she looked at the pin. "Oh my God Jane, your nurse was one of his people!"

Jane lifted his eyes slowly and just nodded.

"I should have figured it out sooner...Vicky said 'we wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you.' 'We'….I knew it was strange at the time, but I let it go…" Jane mumbled, feeling the same old sense of being nothing more than a specimen under a microscope. His life was never going to be his own until Red John was dead. He picked up the letter again, not worrying about fingerprints because there never were any.

"He's going to kill Torrelli."

Jane made the statement with no emotion in his voice. It might already be too late.

Without a word, Lisbon turned and ran to her office to place a call to put extra protection on Torrelli. Jane threw down the letter and sank onto his sofa in resignation. It never goddamned ends…

A few minutes later Lisbon came back and joined him on the sofa.

Jane sighed deeply, then turned to face her. "Well?"

"Torrelli was found dead in his cell a half hour ago. No witnesses, no murder weapon found."

Jane leaned back with his eyes closed and said nothing. What was there to say? His every move was monitored by Red John, and if it was his day to die, he'd die. He slowly let his fingers creep over to find Lisbon's hand and he held it tight in his own, feeling the game begin again.

"We'll find him Jane"

"Yes….we will…"

The End


End file.
